Methods and Compositions for Treating Trauma-Hemorrhage Using Estrogen and Derivatives Thereof

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are methods and materials for treating or preventing complications due to traumatic injuries using estrogen or derivatives thereof.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/646,950, filed on May 15, 2012.

This invention was made with government support under grant numberW81XWH-05-2-0046 and W911NF-06-1-0219 awarded by the DARPA andW81XWH-05-2-0153 awarded by the Department of Defense. The United StatesGovernment has certain rights in this invention.

I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hemorrhage is the most common cause of death among injured or treatedindividuals including those who die prior to reaching care, who die inemergency medical care, e.g. emergency room, or who die in the operatingroom (Holcomb 1997; Holcomb 1999). The most common causes of death ofindividuals in post-operative critical care are those involvingsequellae of poorly controlled hemorrhage and shock. In the pre-hospitalsetting, most internal bleeding is not accessible for directintervention. In the hospital setting, there are sources of bleedingwhich cannot be immediately controlled with the best surgicaltechniques, e.g. deep liver injuries with liver vein disruption, pelvicring fractures with direct bone bleeding, pelvic venous plexus tears,etc.

Clinical and epidemiological studies have indicated gender differencesin the response to various adverse circulatory conditions (Offner 1999).In this regard, studies have shown that sex steroids have eitherdeleterious or beneficial effects on cardiac and hepatic functions notonly under normal conditions but also after circulatory stress. Forexample, testosterone-receptor blockade after trauma-hemorrhage has beenshown to improve organ functions in males (Remmers 1998). Alternatively,castration days before hemorrhagic shock prevented the depression inmyocardial functions that is usually observed in males under thoseconditions (Remmers 1997). Furthermore, significantly reducedcardiovascular morbidity and mortality has been reported inpost-menopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy (Stampfer1991). Moreover, studies have indicated that 17β-estradiol is involvedin various physiologic processes such as vascular response modulation.

It has been demonstrated that the proestrus state of the female rodentshows the highest plasma concentration of estradiol and prolactin (Smith1975). The plasma levels of both hormones are low on the morning ofestrus and then gradually increase over diestrus to achieve their peaklevels on the morning of proestrus (Smith 1975). Studies by Slimmer andBlair (Slimmer 1996) have shown that female rats in the proestrus stageof the reproductive cycle exhibit a more vigorous restitution responsethan either estrus females or males after simple hemorrhage.

Furthermore, Wichmann et al. (1996) have shown that female micesubjected to hemorrhage during the proestrus state have enhanced immuneresponses as opposed to decreased responses in males. Therefore, thefemale reproductive cycle is an important variable not only with regardto immunological responses but also by influencing physiologicalresponses (i.e., cardiac and hepatic functions) after trauma-hemorrhageand resuscitation (Angele 1999).

Trauma-hemorrhage produces a pronounced depression of immune functionsin males that persists for up to 10 days after resuscitation (Chaudry1992; Xu 1998). Alterations in the function of various macrophage (MΦ)populations (peritoneal, splenic, hepatic [Kupffer cells]) has beenimplicated in the immune depression and subsequent increasedsusceptibility to sepsis observed under such conditions (Ayala 1989;Ayala 1990; Ayala 1991). It has been shown that testosterone plays asignificant role in producing this immunodepression and increasedsusceptibility to subsequent sepsis after trauma-hemorrhage. (Wichmann1997; Angele 1997; Wichmann 1997). In contrast, female mice in theproestrus state of the estrus cycle have maintained or enhanced immuneresponses under such conditions; this is associated with improvedsurvival after the induction of subsequent sepsis. (Diodato 2000;Slimmer 1996). What is needed in the art are methods and compositionsrelated to treating trauma-hemorrhage comprising administering estrogento a subject in need thereof.

II. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the purpose(s) of this invention, as embodied andbroadly described herein, this invention, in one aspect, relates to amethod of ameliorating one or more effects of a traumatic injury in asubject comprising administering estrogen to the subject in a low volumeof solution. For example, the estrogen can be administered in 40 mL ofsolution or less, or 0.5 ml/kg or less of estrogen in solution can beadministered to the subject. The estrogen can be in a cyclodextrincomplex. Administration can be, for example, intravenous orintraosseous. The estrogen can be β-estradiol, equiline sulfate,α-estradiol, as well as sulfates thereof (e.g., 17α-estradiol sulfate,17β-estradiol sulfate, 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate, 17β-estradiol-3-sulfate,ethinyl 17β-estradiol sulfate, ethinyl 17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, ethinyl17α-estradiol sulfate, and ethinyl 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate). Thus it iscontemplated herein that the estrogens can be in a water soluble form.Moreover, administration can occur over a 5 minute period. The traumaticinjury can involve an inflammatory response, traumatic brain injury,and/or can involve low blood pressure compared to a control bloodpressure. The traumatic injury can involve severe blood loss. Forexample, the severe blood loss can comprise 40% or more blood loss fromthe subject. Administration of estrogen can maintain a state ofpermissive hypotension. The cyclodextrin complex can comprise, forexample, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin or sulfobutyl ethercyclodextran. The estrogen can be administered prior to the traumaticinjury, after the traumatic injury but before treatment, or aftertreatment has begun.

Also disclosed is a method of ameliorating one or more effects of severeblood loss in a subject comprising administering estrogen to thesubject. For example, the severe blood loss can comprise 40%, 50%, or60% or more blood loss from the subject. The estrogen can beadministered in, for example, 40 mL of solution or less, or 0.5 ml/kg orless of estrogen in solution can be administered to the subject. Theestrogen can be in a cyclodextrin complex. Administration can be, forexample, intravenous or intraosseous. The estrogen can be β-estradiol,equiline sulfate, α-estradiol, as well as sulfates thereof (e.g.,17α-estradiol sulfate, 17β-estradiol sulfate, 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate,17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, ethinyl 17β-estradiol sulfate, ethinyl17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, ethinyl 17α-estradiol sulfate, and ethinyl17α-estradiol-3-sulfate). Thus it is contemplated herein that theestrogens can be in a water soluble form. Moreover, administration canoccur over a 5 minute period. The traumatic injury can involve aninflammatory response, and can involve low blood pressure compared to acontrol blood pressure. The traumatic injury can involve severe bloodloss. Administration of estrogen can maintain a state of permissivehypotension. The cyclodextrin complex can comprise, for example,2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin or sulfobutyl ether cyclodextran. Theestrogen can be administered prior to the traumatic injury, after thetraumatic injury but before treatment, or after treatment has begun.

Also disclosed is a method of prolonging viability of tissue, organ,cell, or an entire body for donation comprising contacting the tissue,organ, cell, or entire body with estrogen. The contacting step can beperformed in vivo by administering estrogen to the donor, in vitro, orex vivo.

Also disclosed is a method of improving organ and cell viability of atransplanted tissue, organ or cell by contacting the tissue, organ, orcell with estrogen. The contacting step can be performed in vivo byadministering estrogen to the recipient of the donated tissue, organ, orcell. The contacting step can also be performed in vivo by administeringestrogen to the donor, in vitro, or ex vivo.

Further disclosed is a method of ameliorating one or more effects of anaortic cross clamp used during surgery in a subject in need thereof,comprising administering estrogen in a cyclodextrin complex to thesubject. For example, administration of estrogen prior to, during, orafter use of the aortic cross clamp can maintain a state of permissivehypotension.

Disclosed is a kit comprising microencapsulated estrogen, wherein theestrogen is in less than 40 mL of vehicle. The estrogen can also be in asyringe, and in one example, the syringe can be in a bullet-proofcontainer. The estrogen can be in a cyclodextrin complex. The kit cancomprise two separate compartments, one of which comprises sterile driedestrogen, and one comprising diluent.

III. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 shows the release of interleukin-1 (IL-1) by splenic macrophages(A) or peritoneal macrophages (B) and Kupffer cells (C) at 2 hours aftersham operation or trauma-hemorrhage. Concentrations of IL-1 insupernatants from splenic and peritoneal macrophages were measured by aspecific bioassay (D10.G4.1), whereas Kupffer cell IL-1 release wasmeasured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay specific for murine IL-1.Values are means±SEM of seven or eight animals per group; analysis ofvariance, *p<0.05 vs. proestrus sham; #p<0.05 vs. ovariectomy sham.

FIG. 2 shows the release of interleukin-6 (IL-6) by splenic macrophages(A) or peritoneal macrophages (B) and Kupffer cells (C) at 2 hours aftersham operation or trauma-hemorrhage. Values are means±SEM of seven oreight animals per group; analysis of variance, *p<0.05 vs. proestrussham; #p<0.05 vs. ovariectomy sham.

FIG. 3 shows the release of interleukin-10 (IL-10) by splenicmacrophages (A) or peritoneal macrophages (B) and Kupffer cells (C) at 2hours after sham operation or trauma-hemorrhage. Values are means±SEM ofseven or eight animals per group; analysis of variance, *p<0.05 vs.proestrus sham; #p<0.05 vs. ovariectomy sham.

FIG. 4 shows the release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) by Kupffercells at 2 hours after sham operation or trauma-hemorrhage (T-Hem).Kupffer cells were cultured in the presence of 10 μg/mLlipopolysaccharide for 24 hours. Values are means±SEM of seven or eightanimals per group; analysis of variance, #p<0.05 versus ovariectomizedshams.

FIG. 5 shows plasma concentrations of (A) interleukin-6 (IL-6) and (B)tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) at 2 hours after sham operation ortrauma-hemorrhage. Values are means±SEM of seven or eight animals pergroup; analysis of variance, *p<0.05 vs. proestrus sham; #p<0.05 vs.ovariectomy sham.

FIG. 6 shows ten-day survival of sham or trauma-hemorrhage mice afterthe induction of sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Z test;*p<0.05 vs. proestrus sham; #p<0.05 vs. proestrus trauma-hemorrhage;p<0.05 vs. ovariectomy sham; n=20 per group. PRO, proestrus; OVX,ovariectomy.

FIG. 7 shows effects of trauma-hemorrhage on cardiac index in rats at 24h after resuscitation, as measured by an indocyanine green (ICG)dilution technique: comparison of sham-operated and hemorrhaged male andfemale (estrus and proestrus) rats (n 5 6-8/group). * p<0.05 vs.respective sham and # p<0.05 vs. male trauma-hemorrhage.

FIG. 8 shows the effects of trauma-hemorrhage on the maximal rate ofpressure increase (1 dP/dtmax; A) and decrease (2 dP/dtmax; B) in theleft ventricle at 24 h after resuscitation: comparison of sham-operatedand hemorrhaged male and female (estrus and proestrus) rats(n=6-8/group). * p<0.05 vs. respective sham, # p<0.05 vs. maletrauma-hemorrhage, and † p<0.05 vs. estrus female trauma-hemorrhage.

FIG. 9 shows the effects of trauma-hemorrhage on the activehepatocellular function at 24 h after resuscitation as measured by thein vivo ICG clearance technique: comparison of sham-operated andhemorrhaged male and female (estrus and proestrus) rats (n=6-8/group).A: Vmax represents the maximum velocity of ICG clearance. B:Michaelis-Menton constant (Km) represents the overall efficiency of theICG transport. * p<0.05 vs. respective sham, # p<0.05 vs. maletrauma-hemorrhage, and p<0.05 vs. estrus female trauma-hemorrhage.

FIG. 10 shows the effects of trauma-hemorrhage on circulating bloodvolume (CBV) at 24 h after resuscitation: comparison of sham-operatedand hemorrhaged male and female (estrus and proestrus) rats(n=6-8/group). CBV was determined by use of an in vivo ICG clearancetechnique, which does not require blood sampling. * p<0.05 vs.respective sham.

FIG. 11 shows circulating plasma levels of 17β-estradiol (A),testosterone (B), and prolactin (C) in male and female rats duringdifferent stages of the reproductive cycle at the start of theexperiment and at 24 h after trauma-hemorrhage and crystalloidresuscitation (n=6-8/group). ND, not detectable. * p<0.05 vs. baselinemale/estrus female, # p<0.05 vs. male/estrus female trauma-hemorrhage,and † p<0.05 vs. baseline male.

FIG. 12 shows the effects of estradiol administration on (A) cardiacoutput (CO) and (B) stroke volume (SV) at 24 hours after sham-operationor trauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation, showing the comparison ofsham-operated rats treated with vehicle (SHAM-VH) or estradiol(SHAM-EST), as well as hemorrhaged animals treated with vehicle (HEM-VH)or estradiol (HEM-EST) (7 or 8 animals/group). Data presented asmean±SEM and compared by one-way ANOVA and Tukey test. *P<0.05 ascompared to the respective shams; #P<0.05 as compared to hemorrhaged andvehicle-treated animals.

FIG. 13 shows the effects of estradiol administration on the maximalrate of pressure (A) increase (1 dP/dtmax) and (B) decrease (2 dP/dtmax)in the left ventricle at 24 hours after completion of fluidresuscitation. Data presented as mean±SEM and compared by one-way ANOVAand Tukey test. *P<0.05 as compared to the respective shams; #P<0.05 ascompared to hemorrhaged and vehicle-treated animals.

FIG. 14 shows the effects of estradiol administration on the activehepatocellular function at 24 hours after sham operation ortrauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation as measured by indocyanine green(ICG) clearance technique. (A) Vmax represents the maximal velocity ofICG clearance and (B) Km represents the overall efficiency of the ICGtransport. Data presented as mean±SEM and compared by one-way ANOVA andTukey test. *P<0.05 as compared to the respective shams; #P<0.05 ascompared to hemorrhaged and vehicle-treated animals.

FIG. 15 shows alterations in plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-6 at 24hours after sham operation or trauma-hemorrhage, measured by a specificELISA. Data presented as mean±SEM and compared by one-way ANOVA andTukey test. *P<0.05 as compared to the respective shams; #P<0.05 ascompared to hemorrhaged and vehicle-treated animals.

FIG. 16 shows 17β-estradiol concentrations (A) and uterine wet weight(B) of female CBA/J mice that were subjected to trauma-hemorrhage andresuscitation or to sham operation at 2 wk after ovariectomy. At the endof trauma-hemorrhage or sham operation, the ovariectomized females wereeither treated with corn oil vehicle or 100 mg 17β-estradiol/25 g bodywt. Plasma 17β-estradiol concentrations were measured byradioimmunoassay. Values are means±SE of 7-8 animals in each group.ANOVA: * p<0.05 vs. sham vehicle, # p<0.05 vs. trauma-hemorrhagevehicle.

FIG. 17 shows proliferative capacity of splenocytes harvested fromovariectomized female CBA/J mice at 24 h after sham operation ortrauma-hemorrhage and treatment with corn oil vehicle or 100 μg17β-estradiol/25 g body wt. All female mice were ovariectomized 2 wkbefore the experiment. Splenocytes were stimulated with 2.5 mg/mlconcanavalin A for 48 h, and proliferation was measured by [3H]thymidineincorporation technique. Values are means±SE of 7-8 animals in eachgroup. ANOVA: * p<0.05 vs. sham vehicle, # p<0.05 vs. trauma-hemorrhagevehicle.

FIG. 18 shows interferon-±(IFN-γ; A), interleukin-2 (IL-2; B), IL-3 (C),and IL-10 (D) release of splenocytes harvested from ovariectomizedfemale CBA/J mice at 24 h after sham operation or trauma-hemorrhage andtreatment with corn oil vehicle or 100 μg 17β-estradiol/25 g body wt.All female mice were ovariectomized 2 wk before the experiment.Splenocytes were stimulated with 2.5 mg/ml concanavalin A for 48 h. IL-2levels in splenocyte supernatants were measured using a bioassayspecific for IL-2 (CTLL-2), IL-3 levels were determined by a specificbioassay for IL-3 (FDC-P1), and IFN-γ and IL-10 concentrations weremeasured by sandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Valuesare means±SE of 7-8 animals in each group. ANOVA: * p<0.05 vs. shamvehicle; # p<0.05 vs. trauma-hemorrhage vehicle, p<0.05 vs. shamestradiol.

FIG. 19 shows the release of IL-6 (A), IL-10 (B), and IL-12 (C) bysplenic macrophages (sMΦ) harvested from ovariectomized female CBA/Jmice at 24 h after sham operation or trauma-hemorrhage and treatmentwith corn oil vehicle or 100 μg 17β-estradiol/25 g body wt. All femalemice were ovariectomized 2 wk before the experiment. SMΦ were culturedin the presence of 10 mg/ml lipopolysaccharide W for 48 h. IL-6 levelsin macrophage supernatants were measured using a specific bioassay(7TD1); IL-10 and IL-12 concentrations were determined bysandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Values aremeans±SE of 7-8 animals in each group. ANOVA: * p<0.05 vs. sham vehicle,# p<0.05 vs. trauma-hemorrhage vehicle.

FIG. 20 shows the release of IL-1β (A), IL-6 (B), and IL-10 (C) byperitoneal macrophages (pMΦ) harvested from ovariectomized female CBA/Jmice at 24 h after sham operation or trauma-hemorrhage and treatmentwith corn oil vehicle or 100 μg 17β-estradiol/25 g body wt. All femalemice were ovariectomized 2 wk before the experiment. PMΦ were culturedin the presence of 10 mg/ml lipopolysaccharide W for 48 h. IL-6 levelsin macrophage supernatants were measured by specific bioassay (7TD1);IL-1β and IL-10 were measured by sandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbentassay technique. Values are means±SE of 7-8 animals in each group.ANOVA: * p<0.05 vs. sham vehicle, # p<0.05 vs. trauma-hemorrhagevehicle.

FIG. 21 shows the percentage of survival in estrogen-treated andnon-treated rats. The survival rate is 68% for estrogen-treated rats,while all untreated control rats died within the initial 3-hourinterval.

FIG. 22 shows NMR spectra for ³¹P/ATP in T-H rat liver (non-surviving).Imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance studies were conducted toevaluate the effects of E2 on preservation of adenosine triphosphate(ATP) and pH levels in the liver. These in vivo studies have shown thatestrogen-treated rats' livers have preservation of intracellular ATP.FIG. 22 a shows non-surviving cyclodextrin control and 22b showssurviving estrogen-treated rats.

FIG. 23 shows intracellular pH in cyclodextrin control and E2experimental rats. pH remains near neutral in treated rats, but falls tosub-physiological acidic levels in control animals.

FIG. 24 shows a timeline of the longevity of rats treated with Premarin™or a control. 16 rats were subjected to 60% removal of blood volume,using the same protocol found in Example 5. Seven out of eight ratsexposed to Premarin™ survived 3 hours or more, while only four rats notexposed to Premarin™ lived to the 3-hour mark.

FIG. 25 shows the effect of Premarin™ on blood pressure over a timeperiod of 3 hours. The mice exposed to estrogen had much higher bloodpressure rates, indicating decreased morbidity and a reduction of othercomplications associated with trauma hemorrhage.

FIG. 26 shows a timeline of the longevity of mice exposed to Premarin™or a control after three hours. The group of eight mice given Premarin™includes two that were given Premarin™ in a sterile diluent, and sixthat were given Premarin™ in a normal saline solution. Six out of theeight given Premarin™ survived the entire six hours, with both of thosemice given Premarin™ in a sterile diluent surviving the entire time.None of the control mice survived to the six hour mark.

FIG. 27 shows the effect of Premarin™ on blood pressure over a timeperiod of 6 hours. The mice exposed to estrogen had much higher bloodpressure rates, indicating decreased morbidity and a reduction of othercomplications associated with trauma hemorrhage.

FIG. 28 shows Kaplan Meier curves for 3 hour survival. 83.3% of thosemice exposed to Premarin™ survived to the 3 hour mark, while only 27.8%of the control mice survived.

FIG. 29 shows Kaplan Meier curves for 3 hour survival. 75% of those miceexposed to cyclodextrin-microencapsulated 17β-estradiol survived to the3 hour mark, while only 6.25% of the control mice survived.

FIG. 30 shows mice were sacrificed at different time points in order toevaluate the various parameters (n=10 mice from each group for each timepoint). 17β-estradiol was administered subcutaneously at a dose of 300μg/kg 1 h before SCI and 3 h and 6 h after SCI; ICI 182,780 (500 μg/kgsubcutaneously) was administered 1 hour before the administration of17β-estradiol.

FIG. 31 shows the effect of 17β-estradiol on histological alterations ofthe spinal cord tissue 24 hours after injury. No histological alterationwas observed in the spinal cord from sham-operated mice (a). 24 hoursafter trauma significant damage to the spinal cord in non-treatedSCI-operated mice at the perilesional area was assessed by the presenceof edema as well as alteration of the white matter (b). Notably,significant protection from the SCI was observed in the tissue collectedfrom 17β-estradiol SCI-treated mice (c). Myelin structure was observedby Luxol fast blue staining. At 24 hours after the injury in non-treatedSCI-operated, mice (f), a significant loss of myelin was observed. Incontrast in 17β-estradiol SCI-treated mice myelin degradation wasattenuated (g). Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiolsignificantly blocked the effect of the 17β-estradiol on histologicalalteration (d) as well as on myelin structure (h). The histologicalscore (e) was made by an independent observer. This figure isrepresentative of at least 3 experiments performed on differentexperimental days. *p<0.01 versus SHAM, °P<0.01 versus SCI, p<0.01 vs.17β-estradiol. wm: White matter; gm: gray matter.

FIG. 32 shows the effects of 17β-estradiol on myeloperoxidase (MPO)activity. Following the injury myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in spinalcord of non-treated SCI-operated mice was significantly increased at 24hours after the damage in comparison to sham mice (a). Treatment with17β-estradiol significantly reduced the SCI-induced increase in MPOactivity (a). Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiolsignificantly blocked the effect of the 17β-estradiol on MPO activity(a). In addition, no positive staining for MPO was observed in spinalcord tissues collected from sham-operated mice (b). A significantpositive staining for MPO was observed in the spinal cord tissuescollected from SCI-operated mice (c see particle cl). In SCI-operatedmice treated with 17β-estradiol (d) the staining for MPO was visibly andsignificantly reduced in comparison with the SCI-operated mice.Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantly blockedthe effect of the 17β-estradiol on MPO formation in the spinal cordtissues (e see particle e1). Image is a representative of at least 3experiments performed on different experimental days. Data are mean±S.E.mean of 10 mice for each group. *p<0.05 vs. vehicle. °p<0.01 vs. SCI.°°p<0.01 vs. 17β-estradiol. wm: White matter; gm: gray matter.

FIG. 33 shows typical densitometry evaluation. Densitometry analysis ofimmunocytochemistry photographs (n=5 photos from each sample collectedfrom all mice in each experimental group) for MPO, iNOS, nitrotyrosine,COX-2, Bax and Bcl-2 from spinal cord tissues was assessed. The assaywas carried out by using Optilab Graftek software on a Macintoshpersonal computer (CPU G3-266). Data are expressed as % of total tissuearea. *P<0.01 vs. Sham; °P<0.01 vs. SCI. ND: not detectable.

FIG. 34 shows the effects of 17β-estradiol on spinal cord levels ofTNF-α_(□) IL1β, IL-6 and MCP-1. A significant increase of the TNF-α (a),IL-1β (b), IL-6 (c) and MCP-1 (d) mRNA levels was observed in the spinalcord tissues at 24 h after SCI. In the spinal cord tissues of17β-estradiol treated SCI mice the TNF-α (a), IL-10 (b), IL-6 (c) andMCP-1 (d) mRNA levels were significantly reduced in comparison to thoseof SCI animals measured in the same conditions. Co-administration of ICI182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantly blocked the effect of the17β-estradiol on TNF-α, IL1β, IL-6 and MCP-1. The results of thequantitative real time PCR of the TNF-α, IL1β, IL-6 and MCP-1 mRNAexpression are expressed a ratio between the number of copies of thetarget cytokine and the number of copies of the housekeeper (GAPDH) tohave an absolute ratio. *p<0.05 vs. vehicle. °p<0.01 vs. SCI. °°p<0.01vs. 17β-estradiol.

FIG. 35 shows immunohistochemical localization of iNOS andnitrotyrosine. No positive staining for iNOS (a) and for nitrotyrosine(e) were observed in the spinal cord tissues collected fromsham-operated mice. Administration of 17β-estradiol to SCI-operated miceproduced a marked reduction in the immunostaining for iNOS (c) andnitrotyrosine (g) in spinal cord tissue, when compared to positivestaining for iNOS (b) and nitrotyrosine (f) obtained from the spinalcord tissue of mice 24 hours after the injury. Co-administration of ICI182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantly blocked the effect of the17β-estradiol on iNOS (d) and nitrotyrosine (h). This figure isrepresentative of at least 3 experiments performed on differentexperimental days. wm: White matter; gm: gray matter.

FIG. 36 shows immunohistochemical localization of COX-2. No positivestaining for COX-2 (a) was observed in the spinal cord tissues collectedfrom sham-operated mice. Administration of 17β-estradiol to SCI-operatedmice produced a marked reduction in the immunostaining for COX-2 (c) inspinal cord tissue, when compared to positive staining for COX-2 (b)obtained from the spinal cord tissue of mice 24 h after the injury.Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantly blockedthe effect of the 17β-estradiol on COX-2 (d). This figure isrepresentative of at least 3 experiments performed on differentexperimental days. wm: White matter; gm: gray matter.

FIG. 37 shows representative TUNNEL coloration in rat spinal cord tissuesection. The number of apoptotic cells increased at 24 hours after SCI(a) associated with a specific apoptotic morphology characterized by thecompaction of chromatin into uniformly dense masses in perinuclearmembrane, the formation of apoptotic bodies as well as the membraneblebbing (see particle al). In contrast, tissues obtained from17β-estradiol-treated mice (b) demonstrated a small number of apoptoticcells or fragments. Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiolsignificantly blocked the effect of the 17β-estradiol on the presence ofapoptotic cells (c). Section d demonstrates the positive staining in theKit positive control tissue. Figure is representative of at least 3experiments performed on different experimental days. wm: White matter;gm: gray matter.

FIG. 38 shows a representative Western blot of Bax levels (a) and Bcl-2(b). Western blot analysis was realized in spinal cord tissue collectedat 24 h after injury. Sham: basal level of Bax was present in the tissuefrom sham-operated mice. SCI: Bax band is more evident in the tissuefrom spinal cord-injured mice. SCI+17β-estradiol: Bax band disappearedin the tissue from spinal cord-injured mice which received17β-estradiol. SCI+ICI 182,780+17β-estradiol: Bax band is more evidentin comparison with the band present in the tissue from17β-estradiol-treated mice. Sham: basal level of Bcl-2 was present inthe tissue from sham-operated mice. SCI: Bcl-2 band disappeared in thetissue from spinal cord-injured mice. SCI+17β-estradiol: Bcl-2 band ismore evident in the tissue from spinal cord-injured mice which received17β-estradiol. SCI+ICI 182,780+17β-estradiol: BCL2 band is less evidentin comparison with the band present in the tissue from17β-estradiol-treated mice. (al and b1) The intensity of retarded bands(measured by phosphoimager) in all the experimental groups.Immunoblotting in panels A and B is representative of one spinal cordtissue out of 5-6 analyzed. The results in panels A1 and B1 areexpressed as mean±S.E.M. from 5-6 spinal cord tissues. *p<0.05 vs.vehicle. °p<0.01 vs. SCI. °°p<0.01 vs. 17β-estradiol.

FIG. 39 shows immunohistochemical expression of Bax and Bcl-2. Nopositive staining for Bax was observed in the tissue section fromsham-operated mice (a). SCI caused, at 24 hours, an increase in therelease of Bax expression (b). Treatment with 17β-estradiolsignificantly inhibited the SCI-induced increase in Bax expression (c).On the contrary positive staining for Bcl-2 was observed in the spinalcord tissues of sham-operated mice (e). At 24 hours after SCIsignificantly less staining for Bcl-2 was observed (f). The17β-estradiol treatment significantly prevents the loss of Bcl-2expression induced by SCI (g). Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and17β-estradiol significantly blocked the effect of the 17β-estradiol onBax (d) and Bcl-2 (h). Figure is representative of at least 3experiments performed on different experimental days. wm: White matter;gm: gray matter.

FIG. 40 shows the effect of 17β-estradiol on hind limb motor disturbanceafter spinal cord injury. The degree of motor disturbance was assessedevery day for 10 days after SCI by Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahancriteria. Pre or post treatment with 17β-estradiol reduces the motordisturbance after SCI. Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and17β-estradiol significantly blocked the effect of the 17β-estradiol onthe motor disturbance after SCI. Values shown are mean±S.E. mean of 10mice for each group. *p<0.01 vs. SCI; °p<0.01 vs. SCI+17β-estradiol.

FIG. 41 shows the effectiveness 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate (EE-3-SO₄) inpromoting survival following loss of 60% the circulating blood volumeand no fluid resuscitation for 6 hrs. EE3-SO₄ was administered in avolume of 0.4 ml/Kg body weight (BW). FIG. 41A shows survival followingadministration of EE-3-SO4 (0.1 mg/Kg BW). FIG. 41B shows survivalfollowing administration of EE-3-SO4 (0.3 mg/Kg BW). FIG. 41C showssurvival following administration of EE-3-SO4 (1.0 mg/Kg BW). FIG. 41Dshows survival following administration of EE-3-SO4 (3.0 mg/Kg BW).

FIG. 42 shows a comparison of the efficacy between E2-SO4 and EE3-SO4 asdetermined by vascular ring comparative data analysis.

FIG. 43 shows edema reduction as determined by MRI.

FIG. 44 shows intracranial pressure following TBI treatment involvingvarious estrogens.

FIG. 45 shows the preservation of higher functions in rats asdemonstrated by average weight loss or gain following TBI treatmentinvolving estrogen.

FIG. 46 shows that 17-β estradiol (E2) has been found to substantiallyenhance cardiac performance as ejection fraction after severe hemorrhageas measured by SPECT-CT.

FIG. 47 shows that Ethinyl estradiol 3-sulfate (EE3-SO4) exhibitsenhanced survival as compared to E2-sulfate. Note that experimentalconditions were sufficiently stringent that all saline vehicle controlhemorrhaged rats died. The number of subject rats was vehiclecontrol-20, E2-SO4-21, and EE3-SO4-20. Note that the time to begin the 6hour interval starts after the maximum bleed out (MBO). It takesapproximately 45 minutes to attain the MBO. Also please note that noresuscitation is given for the duration of the 6 hour test.

FIG. 48 shows E2 treatment administered 24 hours after TBI markedlyreduces intracranial pressure and enhances oxygen delivery to theinjured brain. Rats with untreated, injured brains are shown as filledcircles, while E2 treated rats are noted with open circles. Sham-treatedcontrol rats are shown by filled, inverted triangles while sham-treatedcontrol rats given E2 are labeled with unfilled triangles. FIG. 48Ashows intracranial pressure (ICP) in injured and sham brains. FIG. 48Bshows a plot of cerebral perfusion pressure, which is a derivative ofmean arterial pressure less ICP. FIG. 48C shows partial oxygen ininjured vs uninjured brains. The X axis is shown for an extended 2 hoursto confirm stability for the various probes used.

FIG. 49 shows diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), shown as MRI “slices”through the rat's brain. Treatment was administered one hour afterinjury.

FIG. 50 shows Fluro-Jade staining of treated and untreated brain tissuefollowing TBI.

FIG. 51 shows E2 blood levels following administration via intravenousor intraosseous routes.

IV. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to thefollowing detailed description of preferred embodiments of the inventionand the Examples included therein and to the Figures and their previousand following description.

A. DEFINITIONS

As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms“a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a small molecule”includes mixtures of one or more small molecules, and the like.

Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value,and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range isexpressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular valueand/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values areexpressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it willbe understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. Itwill be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges aresignificant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently ofthe other endpoint.

The terms “higher,” “increases,” “elevates,” or “elevation” refer toincreases above basal levels, e.g., as compared to a control. The terms“low,” “lower,” “reduces,” or “reduction” refer to decreases below basallevels, e.g., as compared to a control. For example, basal levels arenormal in vivo levels prior to, or in the absence of, the addition ofestrogen.

As used herein, “hemostasis” is the arrest of bleeding, involving thephysiological process of blood coagulation at ruptured or puncturedblood vessels and possibly the contraction of damaged blood vessels.

“Inflammation” or “inflammatory” is defined as the reaction of livingtissues to injury, infection, or irritation. Anything that stimulates aninflammatory response is said to be inflammatory.

“Transplant” is defined as the transplantation of an organ or body partfrom one organism to another.

As used throughout, by a “subject” is meant an individual. Thus, the“subject” can include domesticated animals, such as cats, dogs, etc.,livestock (e.g., cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, etc.), laboratoryanimals (e.g., mouse, rabbit, rat, guinea pig, etc.) and birds.Preferably, the subject is a mammal such as a primate, and, morepreferably, a human.

The term “cyclodextrin” is intended to mean a cyclodextrin or aderivative thereof as well as mixtures of various cyclodextrins,mixtures of various derivatives of cyclodextrins and mixtures of variouscyclodextrins and their derivatives.

The term “cyclodextrin complex” is intended to mean a complex between anestrogen and a cyclodextrin, wherein a molecule of the estrogen is atleast partially inserted into the cavity of one cyclodextrin molecule.Furthermore, the molecule of an estrogen may at least partially beinserted into the cavity of more cyclodextrin molecules, and twomoieties of a single estrogen molecule can each be inserted into onecyclodextrin molecule to give 2:1 ratio between cyclodextrin andestrogen. Thus, the complex can be termed as an inclusion complex(clathrate) between an estrogen and a cyclodextrin. Similarly, thecomplex can comprise more than one molecule of estrogen at leastpartially inserted into one or more cyclodextrin molecules, wherein forexample, two estrogen molecules are at least partially inserted into asingle cyclodextrin molecule, to give a 1:2 ratio between cyclodextrinand estrogen. These are merely examples and not intended to be limiting,as one of skill in the art would be able to form additionalestrogen-cyclodetxrin complexes.

An “estrogen compound” is defined here and in the claims as any of thestructures described in the 11th edition of “Steroids” from SteraloidsInc., Wilton N.H., herein incorporated by reference in its entirety forits teaching concerning estrogen and derivatives thereof. Included inthis definition are non-steroidal estrogens described in theaforementioned reference. Other estrogen compounds included in thisdefinition are estrogen derivatives, estrogen metabolites and estrogenprecursors as well as those molecules capable of binding cell associatedestrogen receptor as well as other molecules where the result of bindingspecifically triggers a characterized estrogen effect. Unless thecontext clearly indicates otherwise, reference herein to “estrogen” isintended to refer both estrogen and estrogen compounds; and suchreference is intended to refer to estrogen, estrogen compounds, or acombination.

B. METHODS

Treatment with estrogens including 17β-estradiol (also referred toherein as E2), 17α-estradiol sulfate, 17β-estradiol sulfate, ethinyl17β-estradiol sulfate, and ethinyl 17α-estradiol 3-sulfate (EE-3-SO₄)are capable of dramatically promoting survival of subjects which haveundergone massive (i.e., 60%) blood loss and/or traumatic brain injury(TBI). The estrogen can administered prior to, or after major bloodloss, and prior to or during resuscitation following trauma-hemorrhage,which makes it compatible with the needs of emergency or critical caretreatment. It has been found that female mice fared far better than malecounterparts in surviving experimental sepsis as well astrauma-hemorrhage. It was further found that this gender bias was mostpronounced in proestrus females, which express greatly elevated estrogensystemically. Confirmatory studies showed that the administration ofexogenous estrogen to both males and non-proestrus females produces thesame beneficial effects on cardiac and immunological functions, and alsoon decreasing the susceptibility to and mortality from sepsis(infections) following traumatic injury and blood loss.

Furthermore, crystalloid fluid resuscitation was administered followingan initial 3-hour interval after the trauma and major blood loss, andrats were followed for 7 days. It has been observed that rats whichsurvive for the initial 3 hours uniformly go on to survive for prolongedperiod of time and were then sacrificed. The survival rate is 68% forestrogen-treated rats, while all untreated control rats have died withinthe initial 3-hour interval (see FIG. 21).

Estrogen can up-regulate E2 receptors, prevent harmful inflammatorysignaling cascades, and most significantly lower vascular peripheralresistance. This allows for better perfusion of vital organs under theselow-flow conditions. In addition the presence of estrogen receptorswithin the mitochondrion shows an intimate coupling of metabolism to thesensing of estrogen, which can account for the preservation (orcompensation) of ATP levels in the liver. The beneficial effects ofestrogen in injury extend to protection of brain tissue. In a mousemodel, it was shown that soluble estrogen at a dose that approximatesphysiological levels was able to preserve brain tissue, which wasattributed to improved microcirculation.

Disclosed herein are methods of ameliorating one or more effects of atraumatic injury in a subject comprising administering estrogen in acyclodextrin complex to the subject. By “ameliorating the effects” ismeant a reduction or prevention of those diseases, symptoms, andcomplications associated with trauma, injury, or blood loss. Forexample, administration of estrogen can prevent or decrease theoccurrence and complications of sepsis and multiple organ failure assequelae of traumatic injury. Hemorrhagic shock, in addition to directlyresulting in early fatality, is a predictor of poor outcome in theinjured patient. Early hypotension (systolic blood pressure=90 mmHg)with hemorrhage in the field or at initial hospital evaluation isassociated with complications such as eventual organ failure and thedevelopment of infections, including sepsis. Furthermore, as acritically injured patient progresses through the phases of trauma care,death from causes unrelated to specific injuries becomes more common.Infections such as sepsis and pneumonia, systemic inflammatory responsesyndrome, and multiple organ failure become the primary etiologies oftraumatic death in the trauma patient. Treatment with estrogen canreduce or prevent infection such as sepsis and pneumonia or otherinfections, inflammation, and organ failure, for example.

A severe infection, such as those accompanying traumatic injury, can beassociated with sepsis. Sepsis, also known as systemic inflammatoryresponse syndrome (SIRS), is a severe illness caused by overwhelminginfection of the bloodstream by toxin-producing bacteria. Sepsis can becaused by bacterial infection that can originate anywhere in the body.Common sites include, but are not limited to, the kidneys (upper urinarytract infection), the liver or the gall bladder, the bowel (usually seenwith peritonitis), the skin (cellulitis), and the lungs (bacterialpneumonia). In sepsis, blood pressure drops, resulting in shock. Majororgans and systems, including the kidneys, liver, lungs, and centralnervous system, stop functioning normally. Sepsis is oftenlife-threatening, especially in people with a weakened immune system orother medical illnesses.

Administration of estrogen after a traumatic injury (such as, forexample, TBI or sever blood loss) can also help to maintain a state ofpermissive hypotension until definitive treatment of injury and/or bloodloss can be provided. Induced, controlled, or permissive hypotension isdefined as the deliberate acute reduction of arterial blood pressure toreduce blood loss. Furthermore, administration of estrogen after bluntor penetrating trauma, soft tissue injury and/or bone fracture withblood loss can block or ameliorate complications of cardiac arrest assequelae of hemorrhage.

Estrogen can be administered near the time of traumatic injury, as withtreatment by first responders. The estrogen can also be administeredafter the patient has reached a treatment facility, and before theproper treatment can be received. For example, during a terrorist orother large-scale incident where many are wounded and taken to medicalfacilities, estrogen can be administered to allow the waiting patientsto have a higher chance of survival, minimize the inflammatory response,and minimize hemorrhage until the proper treatment can be received. Theestrogen can also be administered after traumatic injury, but beforefluid resuscitation—until hemorrhage can be controlled surgically, forexample. In one example, the fluid resuscitation can be used to restorethe circulating blood volume. This can allow the patient to live up to30 minutes, or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 18, or 24 hourslonger than they would have without estrogen treatment or other medicalattention.

Estrogen can be administered to the subject before, after, or duringtraumatic injury or surgery. When administered before, estrogen can beadministered, for example, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4,3, 2, or 1 hour prior to the trauma or surgery, or 50, 40, 30, 20, 10,5, or 1 minute before the trauma or surgery, or any amount in between.Estrogen can also be administered after the traumatic injury, but beforetreatment (treatment in this context meaning surgery or other forms ofprofessional healthcare). Resuscitation, such as fluid resuscitation, isa useful form of such treatment. For example, estrogen can beadministered after traumatic injury and before resuscitation, such asfluid resuscitation. Estrogen can be administered, for example, 24, 18,12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 hours after the injury, or 50,40, 30, 20, 10, 5, or 1 minute after the injury, or any amount inbetween these times. Estrogen can also be administered at various timesprior to treatment, either particular treatments or combinations oftreatments. For example, estrogen can be administered after traumaticinjury and for various times before resuscitation, such as fluidresuscitation. Estrogen can be administered, for example, 48, 36, 24,18, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 hour prior to treatment orthe start of treatment, or 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, or 1 minute prior totreatment or the start of treatment, or any amount in between. Theestrogen can also be administered after treatment has begun. It can beadministered 24, 18, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 hoursafter treatment has begun, or 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, or 1 minute aftertreatment has begun, or any amount in between these times. The estrogencan also be administered before, during, or after the use of an aorticcross clamp, as discussed herein.

Estrogens can be given as a quick bolus or over a prolongedadministration (i.e., slow push) to avoid spike in arterial bloodpressure. It is contemplated herein that the estrogens disclosed hereincan be administered over a period of 1 sec, 2 sec, 3 sec, 4 sec, 5 sec,6 sec, 7 sec, 8 sec, 8 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 35sec, 40 sec, 45 sec, 50 sec, 55 sec, 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, 5 min,6 min, 7 min, 8 min, 9 min, 10 min or more.

Also disclosed herein is a method of prolonging viability of tissue,organ, cell, or an entire body for donation comprising contacting thetissue, organ, cell, or entire body with estrogen. When a cell, tissue,organ, or entire body is to be donated, it has been found that treatmentwith estrogen can prolong the viability of the cell, tissue, organ, orbody. By exposing the transplantation material to estrogen, theviability of the cells, tissue, or organs can increase by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 50, or 100-fold or more. This allows for a greater timeto lapse between harvesting the cells, tissue, or organ fortransplantation, and the time when it is transplanted into therecipient. The increased viability of the cells, tissue, or organ canextend the time from harvest to transplantation by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 18, or 24 hours or more. This method can be used witha subject who has become brain-dead, thereby extending the viability ofthe cell, tissues, and organs for donation.

Also disclosed herein is a method of reducing rejection, or preventingdeterioration of tissue, organs or cells for transplantation, bycontacting the tissue, organ, or cell with estrogen. When a cell,tissue, or organ is transplanted, cell and organ dysfunction and failurecan result due to lack of blood flow to that organ due to cellularswelling, for example. This can lead to further complications in thesubject receiving the donated cell, tissue, or organ. One of thecomplications resulting from donation is ischemia. The methods ofadministering estrogen disclosed herein can also be used to reduce theeffects of ischemia on a donor tissue, organ or cell comprisingcontacting the tissue, tissue, organ or cell with estrogen in acyclodextrin complex. The contacting step can be performed in vivo byadministering estrogen to the donor in a cyclodextrin complex, forexample. The exposure step can also be performed in vitro, by contactingcells, tissues, or organs with estrogen. The exposure step can also beperformed in the body prior to harvesting the organ, ex vivo, whereincells, tissues, or organs are removed from the body and perfused withestrogen, and then transplanted into the body. Ischemia is defined as atotal lack of blood flow to a bodily organ, tissue, or part caused byconstriction or obstruction of the blood vessels. This is a frequentproblem with transplants, often leading to transplant rejection in atransplant recipient. “Transplant rejection” is defined as an immuneresponse triggered by the presence of foreign blood or tissue in thebody of a subject. In one example of transplant rejection, antibodiesare formed against foreign antigens on the transplanted material. Thetransplantation can be, for example, organ transplantation, such asliver, kidney, skin, eyes, heart, or any other transplantable organ ofthe body or part thereof.

The methods and compositions disclosed herein can also be used to treatwounds and bone fractures, as well as osteotomies, non unions or delayedunions, soft tissue injuries, or reconstructive surgery sites. Exposingthe injured bone or tissue to estrogen can shorten the healing time,thereby ameliorating the effects of the damaged bone or tissue.“Healing” is defined as the time from injury until the subject's bodyhas recovered to the full extent possible. Estrogen can also be used inconjunction with a heart-lung machine. Estrogen can also be used totreat malignant hypotension. Estrogen can also be used to treat spinalcord injury (SCI) (Sribnick et al. J Neurosci Res. 2006 October;84(5):1064-75, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for itsteaching concerning treating spinal cord injury with estrogen).

Subjects can be maintained in a state of permissive hypotension with theuse of the estrogen compositions disclosed herein. The standard approachto the trauma victim who is hypotensive from know or presumed hemorrhagehas been to infuse large volumes of fluids as early and as rapidly aspossible. The goals of this treatment strategy are rapid restoration ofintravascular volume and vital signs towards normal, and maintenance ofvital organ perfusion. However, it has been shown that in the setting ofpenetrating injury to a major or even a small blood vessel and severehemorrhage, the practice of aggressive fluid resuscitation can beharmful, resulting in increased hemorrhage volume and subsequentlygreater mortality. This has been demonstrated in animal modelsrepresentative of penetrating trauma as well as those representative ofblunt trauma. The data show that limited or hypotensive resuscitationmay be preferable for the trauma victim with the potential for ongoinguncontrolled hemorrhage. Limited resuscitation provides a mechanism ofavoiding the detrimental effects associated with early aggressiveresuscitation, while maintaining a level of tissue perfusion thatalthough decreased from the normal physiologic range is adequate forshort periods (Stern et al. Current Opinion in Critical Care. 2001December; 7(6):422-30; Pepe et al. Prehospital Emergency Care 2002January-March; 6:81-91; both of which are incorporated in their entiretyfor their teaching concerning permissive hypotension). Delay of orlimited resuscitation, however, can be harmful to the subject and thesubject's tissues due to all of the negative effects of low or stoppedblood flow and/or hypotension. It has been discovered that the estrogencompositions disclosed herein can be given to a subject in order toallow the subject to stay in a state of permissive hypotension longerthan without administration of estrogen. This can increase longevity andsurvival rates in the subject. In particular, hypotensive subjects towhich estrogen has been administered can survive and suffer reducednegative effects in a hypotensive state for longer periods than subjectto which estrogen is not administered. Thus, the disclosed methods andcompositions can provide improved outcomes for subjects to whichtreatment is delayed during or following hypotensive conditions.

As discussed herein the estrogen compositions can be given in low volumesolutions. For example, the estrogen composition can be given to asubject in, for example, less than 200, 175, 150, 125, 100, 99, 98, 97,96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 91, 90, 89, 88, 87, 86, 85, 84, 83, 82, 81, 80, 79,78, 77, 76, 75, 74, 73, 72, 71, 70, 69, 68, 67, 66, 65, 64, 63, 62, 61,60, 59, 58, 57, 56, 55, 54, 53, 52, 51, 50, 49, 48, 47, 46, 45, 44, 43,42, 41, 40, 39, 38, 37, 36, 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25,24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, or 10 ml ofsolution, or any amount in between.

The volume of solution comprising estrogen administered to a subject canbe less than, for example, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9,1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, or 2.0 ml/kg of bodyweight.

The methods and compositions disclosed herein can be used with a varietyof subjects, including humans and animals. For example, the methods andcompositions disclosed herein can be used for livestock that are injureduntil they can be properly transported. The methods are also useful withanimals that are used for racing. These animals often receive seriousinjury while racing. Examples of race animals include, but are notlimited to, horses and dogs.

As used herein, traumatic injury includes but is not limited to severeblood loss, inflammatory injury, traumatic brain injury as well asreduction in cellular ATP levels.

The traumatic injury can involve a reduction in cellular ATP levels ascompared to control ATP levels. By “control” is meant levels as measuredbefore the traumatic injury, or levels that are considered in the“normal” range for the subject. Imaging and nuclear magnetic resonancestudies have also been conducted to evaluate the effects of E2 onpreservation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and pH levels in the liver.These in vivo studies have shown that estrogen-treated rats livers havepreservation of intracellular ATP (see FIG. 22 a, non-survivingcyclodextrin control and 22b, surviving estrogen-treated) as well asmaintenance of pH near neutral (see FIG. 23). As can be seen in thesefigures, the converse is true for controls; ATP declines steadily untildeath, and pH likewise falls to sub-physiological acidic levels.

For example, using a variety of references, the best approximation ofnormal ATP levels is a range of ˜2-10 fM/cell for ATP in eukaryoticcells, under “normal” conditions. Clearly, the intracellular ATP varieswith the tissue per se and its state of metabolic activity, as well aswith the actual system used for quantitative measurement. IntracellularpH varies in a similar fashion to blood pH, ranging from 7.2 understeady-state conditions, and down to 6.7 under pathological conditionsof stress. ATP is exhausted in shock and severe stress due to theinability of the mitochondrion to produce sufficient ATP to coverdemands. This failure can result from lowered oxygen supply,insufficient nutrient/substrate supply (i.e., glucose for oxidativephosporylation or lipid for β-oxidation), and tissue destruction, or acombination of the above. The cytokine milieu of the surrounding cellsand tissues also has a profound effect on the production of ATP and theregulation of intracellular pH, and a highly proinflammatory cytokinemicroenvironment as exists with trauma and stress will greatly perturbATP and pH levels.

The traumatic injury can also involve low blood pressure compared to acontrol blood pressure. By “control” is meant levels as measured beforethe traumatic injury, or levels that are considered in the “normal”range for the subject. For example, normal blood pressure is defined bythe individual, and will vary with age, gender, overall health andfitness status, as well as emotional state. In general, it should beless than 120 mm Hg systolic and 80 mm Hg diastolic for adults. Withtrauma and blood loss, blood pressure falls from an average of 120/80 todangerously low values. In shock there are three stages; stage I(compensated), stage II (progressive or decompensated) and stage III(irreversible). Our rat trials with estrogen are based on a loss ofblood with a concomitant, documented loss of compensation, generallyfalling into the range of ˜40 mm Hg mean arterial pressure. Because ofthe 3 hr duration of shock produced, rats may have entered a state whichwould result in stage III shock, which is supported by the fact thatessentially all control animals die. However, the lowered vascularresistance afforded by estrogen, as well as the mitochondrial/energeticsupport which it provides, can moderate the tissue damage and risk ofdeath from stage III shock.

The compositions disclosed herein can be used to treat traumatic braininjury as well as very severe blood loss, also known as hemorrhagicshock. Hemorrhagic shock is a life-threatening condition brought on bysevere blood loss. For example, hemorrhagic shock may originate frominternal or external hemorrhage, gun shot wounds, severe trauma or anyother condition associated with blood loss.

The initial phase of hemorrhagic shock, unless rapidly corrected, isfollowed by progressive tissue hypoxemia, end-organ dysfunction, andeventually producing refractory vascular failure and ischemia (totallack of oxygen). Hemorrhagic shock also is associated with earlyvasomotor paralysis and cardiovascular collapse. “Bleeding” or“hemorrhage” is defined as the loss of blood from the body. The completeloss of blood is referred to as exsanguination. The circulating bloodvolume is approximately 70 ml/kg of ideal body weight. Thus the average70 kg (154 lbs) male has approximately 5000 ml (5.3 quarts) ofcirculating blood.

Hemorrhage generally becomes dangerous, or even fatal, when it causeshypovolemia (low blood volume) or hypotension (low blood pressure). Inthese scenarios various mechanisms come into play to maintain the body'shomeostasis. These include the “retro-stress-relaxation” mechanism ofcardiac muscle, the baroreceptor reflex and renal and endocrineresponses such as the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS).

Certain diseases or medical conditions, such as hemophilia and lowplatelet count (thrombocytopenia) may increase the risk of bleeding orexacerbate minor bleeding. “Blood thinner” medications, such as warfarincan increase the risk of bleeding.

Hemorrhage is broken down into 4 classes by the American College ofSurgeons' Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS). Class I Hemorrhageinvolves up to 15% of blood volume. There is typically no change invital signs and fluid resuscitation is not usually necessary. Class IIHemorrhage involves 15-30% of total blood volume. Class III Hemorrhageinvolves loss of 30-40% of circulating blood volume. Class IV Hemorrhageinvolves loss of >40% of circulating blood volume. Disclosed herein isblood loss from a subject of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55,60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, or 95%, or any amount in between.

Traumatic bleeding, or “trauma,” is defined as being caused by some typeof injury. There are different types of wounds which may cause traumaticbleeding. These include, for example, laceration, incision, puncturewound, contusion, and gunshot wounds.

Medical bleeding is that associated with an increased risk of bleedingdue to an underlying medical condition. It increases the risk ofbleeding related to underlying anatomic deformities, such as weaknessesin blood vessels (aneurysm or dissection), arteriovenous malformation,and ulcerations. Similarly, other conditions that disrupt the integrityof the body such as tissue death, cancer, or infection may lead tobleeding.

Certain medical conditions can also make patients susceptible tobleeding. These are conditions that affect the normal “hemostatic”functions of the body. Hemostasis involves several components. The maincomponents of the hemostatic system include platelets and thecoagulation system. Platelets are small blood components that form aplug in the blood vessel wall that stops bleeding. Platelets alsoproduce a variety of substances that stimulate the production of a bloodclot. One of the most common causes of increased bleeding risk isexposure to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (or “NSAIDs”).Deficiencies of coagulation factors can also be associated with clinicalbleeding. For instance, deficiency of Factor VIII causes classicHemophilia A while deficiencies of Factor IX cause “Christmas disease”(hemophilia B). Antibodies to Factor VIII can also inactivate the FactorVII and precipitate bleeding that is very difficult to control. This isa rare condition that is most likely to occur in older patients and inthose with autoimmune diseases. von Willebrand disease is another commonbleeding disorder. It is caused by a deficiency of or abnormal functionof the “von Willebrand” factor, which is involved in plateletactivation. The compositions disclosed herein can be used to treatbleeding accompanied by a medical condition, or bleeding that has beenmade more severe because of an underlying medical condition.

Ischemia is defined as an acute condition associated with an inadequateflow of oxygenated blood to a part of the body, caused by theconstriction or blockage of the blood vessels supplying it. Ischemiaoccurs any time that blood flow to a tissue is reduced below a criticallevel. This reduction in blood flow can result from: (i) the blockage ofa vessel by an embolus (blood clot); (ii) the blockage of a vessel dueto atherosclerosis; (iii) the breakage of a blood vessel (a bleedingstroke); (iv) the blockage of a blood vessel due to vasoconstrictionsuch as occurs during vasospasms and possibly, during transient ischemicattacks (TIA) and following subarachnoid hemorrhage. Conditions in whichischemia occurs, further include (i) myocardial infarction; and (ii)during cardiac, thoracic and neurosurgery (blood flow needs to bereduced or stopped to achieve the aims of surgery). During myocardialinfarct, stoppage of the heart or damage occurs which reduces the flowof blood to organs, and ischemia results. Cardiac tissue itself is alsosubjected to ischemic damage. Disclosed herein is a method for treatingsevere blood loss or hemorrhaging, wherein the severe blood loss orhemorrhaging is not caused by ischemia.

Ischemia can also be defined as the total lack of blood flow, and henceoxygen availability. The term “hypoxemia” refers to a condition in whichblood flow is markedly decreased but not entirely stopped, and thus someoxygen (although limited) is still available until blood flow completelystops. Thus, constriction of blood vessel will cause hypoxemia whileblockage of blood vessel causes ischemia.

Also disclosed are methods of ameliorating the effects of an aorticcross clamp by administering estrogen as described herein. Surgicalintervention within the heart generally requires isolation of the heartand coronary blood vessels from the remainder of the arterial system,and arrest of cardiac function. Usually, the heart is isolated from thearterial system by introducing an external aortic cross-clamp through asternotomy and applying it to the aorta between the brachiocephalicartery and the coronary ostia. Cardioplegic fluid is then injected intothe coronary arteries, either directly into the coronary ostia orthrough a puncture in the aortic root, so as to arrest cardiac function.In some cases, cardioplegic fluid is injected into the coronary sinusfor retrograde perfusion of the myocardium. The patient is placed oncardiopulmonary bypass to maintain peripheral circulation of oxygenatedblood. By administering estrogen as disclosed herein, the cell and organviability is maintained, thereby increasing the patient's survival rate.For bypass surgery, the estrogen can be administered prior to, during,or after the surgery. Preferably, it will be administered just prior tothe onset of cardiopulmonary bypass. It can also be given immediatelyafter the removal of the cross clamp.

The traumatic injury can also involve an inflammatory response.Inflammation is a complex stereotypical reaction of the body expressingthe response to damage of its cells and vascularized tissues. The mainfeatures of the inflammatory response are vasodilation, i.e. widening ofthe blood vessels to increase the blood flow to the infected area;increased vascular permeability, which allows diffusible components toenter the site; cellular infiltration by chemotaxis, or the directedmovement of inflammatory cells through the walls of blood vessels intothe site of injury; changes in biosynthetic, metabolic, and catabolicprofiles of many organs; and activation of cells of the immune system aswell as of complex enzymatic systems of blood plasma.

There are two forms of inflammation, acute and chronic. Acuteinflammation can be divided into several phases. The earliest, grossevent of an inflammatory response is temporary vasoconstriction, i.e.narrowing of blood vessels caused by contraction of smooth muscle in thevessel walls, which can be seen as blanching (whitening) of the skin.This is followed by several phases that occur over minutes, hours anddays later. The first is the acute vascular response, which followswithin seconds of the tissue injury and lasts for several minutes. Thisresults from vasodilation and increased capillary permeability due toalterations in the vascular endothelium, which leads to increased bloodflow (hyperemia) that causes redness (erythema) and the entry of fluidinto the tissues (edema).

This can be followed by an acute cellular response, which takes placeover the next few hours. The hallmark of this phase is the appearance ofgranulocytes, particularly neutrophils, in the tissues. These cellsfirst attach themselves to the endothelial cells within the bloodvessels (margination) and then cross into the surrounding tissue(diapedesis). During this phase erythrocytes may also leak into thetissues and a hemorrhage can occur. If the vessel is damaged, fibrinogenand fibronectin are deposited at the site of injury, platelets aggregateand become activated, and the red cells stack together in what arecalled “rouleau” to help stop bleeding and aid clot formation. The deadand dying cells contribute to pus formation. If the damage issufficiently severe, a chronic cellular response may follow over thenext few days. A characteristic of this phase of inflammation is theappearance of a mononuclear cell infiltrate composed of macrophages andlymphocytes. The macrophages are involved in microbial killing, inclearing up cellular and tissue debris, and in remodeling of tissues.

In one aspect disclosed herein are methods of ameliorating one or moreeffects of a traumatic injury in a subject comprising administeringestrogen to the subject in a low volume of solution, wherein theestrogen is in a water-soluble form.

In another aspect, disclosed herein are methods, wherein the estrogen isadministered to the subject in less than 40 mL of solution.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein 0.5ml/kg or less of estrogen in water-soluble form is administered to thesubject.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is in a cyclodextrin complex.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thecyclodextrin complex comprises 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin orsulfobutyl ether cyclodextran.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theadministration is intravenous or intraosseous.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen comprises 17α-estradiol sulfate, β-estradiol, 17β-estradiolsulfate, ethinyl 17β-estradiol sulfate, ethinyl 17α-estradiol sulfate,or equiline sulfate.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is an ethinyl estrogen.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theethinyl estrogen is ethinyl 17α-estradiol sulfate or ethinyl17β-estradiol sulfate.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thetraumatic injury involves an inflammatory response or comprisestraumatic brain injury.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thetraumatic injury involves low blood pressure compared to a control bloodpressure.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thetraumatic injury involves severe blood loss.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thesevere blood loss comprises 40% or more blood loss from the subject.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, whereinadministration of estrogen maintains a state of permissive hypotension.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered prior to the traumatic injury.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered after the traumatic injury but prior totreatment.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered after treatment.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered at between 0.3 and 3.0 mg/kg.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered at 0.5 mg/kg.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered over a 5 minute period.

In another aspect, disclosed herein are methods of ameliorating one ormore effects of severe blood loss in a subject comprising administeringestrogen to the subject.

In one aspect, disclosed herein are methods, wherein the estrogen isadministered to the subject in a low volume of solution.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered to the subject in less than 40 mL of solution.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein 0.5ml/kg or less of estrogen in solution is administered to the subject.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered over a 5 minute period.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is in a cyclodextrin complex.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thecyclodextrin complex comprises 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin orsulfobutyl ether cyclodextran.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theadministration is intravenous or intraosseous.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen comprises 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate, 17α-estradiol sulfate,17β-estradiol sulfate, β-estradiol, 17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, ethinyl17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, ethinyl 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate, or equilinesulfate.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is an ethinyl estrogen.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theethinyl estrogen is ethinyl 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate or ethinyl17β-estradiol-3-sulfate.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thesevere blood loss comprises 40% or more blood loss from the subject.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thesevere blood loss comprises 50% or more blood loss from the subject.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thesevere blood loss comprises 60% or more blood loss from the subject.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered prior to the severe blood loss.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered after the severe blood loss but prior totreatment.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered after treatment of the subject.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered at between 0.3 and 3.0 mg/kg.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is administered at 0.5 mg/kg.

In another aspect, disclosed herein are methods of prolonging viabilityof tissue, organ, cell, or an entire body for donation comprisingcontacting the tissue, organ, cell, or entire body with estrogen.

Also disclosed are methods, wherein the estrogen comprises17α-estradiol, 17α-estradiol sulfate, 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate,β-estradiol, 17β-estradiol sulfate, 17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, or equilinesulfate.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is an ethinyl estrogen.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theethinyl estrogen is ethinyl 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate or ethinyl17β-estradiol-3-sulfate.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thecontacting step is performed in vivo by administering estrogen to thedonor.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thecontacting step is performed ex vivo.

In yet another aspect, disclosed herein are methods of improvingviability of a tissue, organ or cell to be transplanted by contactingthe tissue, organ, or cell with estrogen.

Also disclosed are methods, wherein the estrogen comprises17α-estradiol, 17α-estradiol sulfate, 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate,β-estradiol, 17β-estradiol sulfate, 17β-estradiol-3-sulfate or equilinesulfate.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is an ethinyl estrogen.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theethinyl estrogen is ethinyl 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate or ethinyl17β-estradiol-3-sulfate.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thecontacting step is performed in vivo by administering estrogen to therecipient of the donated tissue, organ, or cell.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein thecontacting step is performed in vitro.

In another aspect, disclosed herein are methods of ameliorating one ormore effects of an aortic cross clamp used during surgery in a subjectin need thereof, comprising administering estrogen in a cyclodextrincomplex to the subject.

In one aspect also disclosed are methods, wherein administration ofestrogen after use of the aortic cross clamp maintains a state ofpermissive hypotension.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen comprises 17α-estradiol, 17α-estradiol sulfate,17α-estradiol-3-sulfate, β-estradiol, 17β-estradiol sulfate,17β-estradiol-3-sulfate or equiline sulfate.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is an ethinyl estrogen.

Also disclosed are the methods of any preceding aspect, wherein theethinyl estrogen is ethinyl 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate or ethinyl17β-estradiol-3-sulfate.

C. COMPOSITIONS

Disclosed are the components to be used to prepare the disclosedcompositions as well as the compositions themselves to be used withinthe methods disclosed herein. These and other materials are disclosedherein, and it is understood that when combinations, subsets,interactions, groups, etc. of these materials are disclosed that, whilespecific reference of each various individual and collectivecombinations and permutation of these compounds may not be explicitlydisclosed, each is specifically contemplated and described herein. Forexample, if a particular vector is disclosed and discussed and a numberof modifications that can be made to a number of places within thevector can be made, including the portion encoding the reporter or thepromoter, as well as the portion encoding the secreted protein, arediscussed, specifically contemplated is each and every combination andpermutation of the promoter, the reporter and/or the secreted protein,and the modifications that are possible unless specifically indicated tothe contrary. Thus, if a class of molecules A, B, and C are disclosed aswell as a class of molecules D, E, and F and an example of a combinationmolecule, A-D is disclosed, then even if each is not individuallyrecited each is individually and collectively contemplated meaningcombinations, A-E, A-F, B-D, B-E, B-F, C-D, C-E, and C—F are considereddisclosed. Likewise, any subset or combination of these is alsodisclosed. Thus, for example, the sub-group of A-E, B-F, and C-E wouldbe considered disclosed. This concept applies to all aspects of thisapplication including, but not limited to, steps in methods of makingand using the disclosed compositions. Thus, if there are a variety ofadditional steps that can be performed it is understood that each ofthese additional steps can be performed with any specific embodiment orcombination of embodiments of the disclosed methods.

There are various types of estrogen that can be used with the methodsdisclosed herein. For example, the estrogen can be 17β-estradiol,17β-estradiol sulfate, 17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, ethinyl17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, 17α-estradiol, 17α-estradiol sulfate,17α-estradiol-3-sulfate, or ethinyl 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate. Theestrogen can be delivered in a cyclodextrin complex. It has been foundthat there is a great improvement of the stability of estrogen bycombining it with cyclodextrin (U.S. Pat. No. 7,163,931, hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety for its teaching concerningestrogen). There are various types of cyclodextrin that can be used withthe methods disclosed herein. For example, the cyclodextrin complex cancomprise 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin. The size of the cyclizeddextrin ring (i.e., number of glucose molecules in the ring) determinesthe suitability for a particular mass and shape of “guest molecule.” Inthis instance, β-cyclodextrin, a 7 glucose polymer, can be used formaximum efficiency. Furthermore, the hydroxypropyl derivative of thismolecule can also be used.

As the person skilled in the art will appreciate, the estrogen can beselected from the group consisting of, for example, ethinyl estradiol(EE), estradiol, estradiol sulfamates, estradiol valerate, estradiolbenzoate, estrone, estriol, estriol succinate and conjugated estrogens,including conjugated equine estrogens such as estrone sulfate,17β-estradiol sulfate, 17α-estradiol sulfate, sulfate-conjugatedpreparations of ethinyl 17β-estradiol or 17α-estradiol, such as, forexample, 17β-estradiol sulfate, 17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, ethinyl17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, 17α-estradiol sulfate, 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate,ethinyl 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate (EE-3-SO₄), equilin sulfate,17β-dihydroequilin sulfate, 17α-dihydroequilin sulfate, equileninsulfate, 17β-dihydroequilenin sulfate and 17α-dihydroequilenin sulfateor mixtures thereof. Particularly interesting estrogens are selectedfrom the group consisting of ethinyl estradiol (EE), estradiol,estradiol sulfamates, estradiol valerate, estradiol benzoate, estrone,and estrone sulfate or mixtures thereof, notably ethinyl estradiol (EE),estradiol, estradiol valerate, estradiol benzoate and estradiolsulfamates. Also included are Premarin® and derivatives thereof.Furthermore, it should be noted that any of the above estrogens can berendered water soluble as described herein.

The cyclodextrin can be selected from, for example, α-cyclodextrin,β-cyclodextrin, γ-cyclodextrin and derivatives thereof. Another exampleof cyclodextrin is sulfobutyl ether cyclodextrin. The cyclodextrin maybe modified such that some or all of the primary or secondary hydroxylsof the macrocycle, or both, may be alkylated or acylated. Thus, some orall of the hydroxyls of cyclodextrin may modified cyclodextrins have besubstituted with an O—R group or an O—C(O)—R, wherein R is an optionallysubstituted C(1-6)alkyl, an optionally substituted C(2-6)alkenyl, anoptionally substituted C(2-6)alkynyl, an optionally substituted aryl orheteroaryl group. Thus, R may be methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl,or hexyl group. Consequently, O—C(O)—R may be an acetate. Furthermore,with the commonly employed 2-hydroxyethyl group, or 2-hydroxypropylgroup R may be used to derivatize cyclodextrin. Moreover, thecyclodextrin alcohols may be per-benzylated, per-benzoylated, orbenzylated or benzoylated on just one face of the macrocycle, or whereinonly 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 hydroxyls are benzylated or benzoylated.Naturally, the cyclodextrin alcohols may be per-alkylated orper-acylated such as per-methylated or per-acetylated, or alkylated oracylated, such as methylated or acetylated, on just one face of themacrocycle, or wherein only 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 hydroxyls are alkylatedor acylated, such as methylated or acetylated. Preferably, the complexcomprises of beta-cyclodextrin or a derivative thereof, most preferablybeta-cyclodextrin.

The estrogen-cyclodextrin complex can be obtained by methods known tothe person skilled in the art (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,338, hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety for its teaching concerningestrogen-cyclodextrin complexes).

The estrogen-cyclodextrin complex can be delivered in a solvent, such asethanol, methanol, or DMSO, for example. This can be used withhydrophobic forms of estrogen. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 720,035(hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety) teaches DMSO anddimethylacetamide can be used to deliver hydrophobic drugsintravenously.

Disclosed herein is the use of valerate as the form of estrogen.Valerate is an ester of estradiol, having similar uses and moreprolonged action than the estradiol. It can be used intramuscularly orintravenously, for example. Valerate can be rendered water soluble aswell.

The major forms of estrogen in Premarin® are estrone (>50%), equilin(15-25%) and equilenin. The estrogens in Premarin® are often called“conjugated equine estrogens” (CEE) because the estrogen molecules aregenerally present with hydrophilic side-groups attached such as sulfate.Thus, estrone sulfate is the major molecule in Premarin®. Premarin iswidely used for hormone replacement therapy in the treatment ofmenopausal symptoms (Nelson et al. JAMA. 291, 1610-1620, 2004). It isavailable in both oral and injectable forms. Regarding the compositionof Premarin®, the package insert states: “Premarin® (conjugatedestrogens tablets, USP) for oral administration contains a mixture ofconjugated equine estrogens obtained exclusively from natural sources,occurring as the sodium salts of water-soluble estrogen sulfates blendedto represent the average composition of material derived from pregnantmares' urine. It is a mixture of sodium estrone sulfate and sodiumequilin sulfate. It contains as concomitant components, as sodiumsulfate conjugates, 17-dihydroequilin, 17-estradiol, and17β-dihydroequilin.” Sulfation of estrogen(s) represents a form ofmetabolic processing of hormones which renders it soluble for excretion,and hence facilitates its presence in urine. However, sulfated estrogenscan represent a reservoir form of the molecule which enables storage inthe blood (Qian et al. Endocrinology. 142, 5342-5350, 2001). Althoughestrogen sulfate has somewhat lower receptor binding properties, itremains biologically active. Premarin® has been shown to be a viablesubstitute for 17β-estradiol (E2), and that it has activity comparableto E2. A structural diagram of equilin sulfate appears below.

a) Pharmaceutically Acceptable Carriers

Disclosed are compositions comprising estrogen and a pharmaceuticalcarrier. Pharmaceutical carriers are known to those skilled in the art.These most typically would be standard carriers for administration ofdrugs to humans, including solutions such as sterile water, saline, andbuffered solutions at physiological pH. One example, discussed above, iscyclodextrin. The compositions can be administered intramuscularly orsubcutaneously, but are preferably administered intravenously. Thecompounds can be administered according to standard procedures used bythose skilled in the art.

Pharmaceutical compositions can also include carriers, thickeners,diluents, buffers, preservatives, surface active agents and the like inaddition to the molecule of choice. Pharmaceutical compositions may alsoinclude one or more active ingredients such as antimicrobial agents,anti-inflammatory agents, anesthetics, and the like.

The pharmaceutical composition can be administered in a number of waysdepending on whether local or systemic treatment is desired, and on thearea to be treated. Administration may be topically (includingopthamalically, vaginally, rectally, intranasally), orally,sublingually, by inhalation, or parenterally, for example by intravenousdrip, subcutaneous, intraosseous, intraperitoneal or intramuscularinjection. As discussed above, a preferred mode of delivery isintravenous.

Preparations for parenteral administration include sterile aqueous ornon-aqueous solutions, suspensions, and emulsions. Examples ofnon-aqueous solvents are propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol,vegetable oils such as olive oil, and injectable organic esters such asethyl oleate. Aqueous carriers include water, alcoholic/aqueoussolutions, emulsions or suspensions, including saline and bufferedmedia. Parenteral vehicles include sodium chloride solution, Ringer'sdextrose, dextrose and sodium chloride, lactated Ringer's, or fixedoils. Intravenous vehicles include fluid and nutrient replenishers,electrolyte replenishers (such as those based on Ringer's dextrose), andthe like. Preservatives and other additives may also be present such as,for example, antimicrobials, anti-oxidants, chelating agents, and inertgases and the like. As discussed above, one example of a solution todeliver the estrogen is cyclodextrin.

Some of the compositions may potentially be administered as apharmaceutically acceptable acid- or base-addition salt, formed byreaction with inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid, hydrobromicacid, perchloric acid, nitric acid, thiocyanic acid, sulfuric acid, andphosphoric acid, and organic acids such as formic acid, acetic acid,propionic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, pyruvic acid, oxalic acid,malonic acid, succinic acid, maleic acid, and fumaric acid, or byreaction with an inorganic base such as sodium hydroxide, ammoniumhydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and organic bases such as mono-, di-,trialkyl and aryl amines and substituted ethanolamines.

The dosage ranges for the administration of the compositions are thoselarge enough to produce the desired effect of inflammation monitoring.The dosage should not be so large as to cause adverse side effects, suchas unwanted cross-reactions, anaphylactic reactions, and the like.Generally, the dosage will vary with the age, condition, sex and extentof the injury in the patient and can be determined by one of skill inthe art. Dosage can vary, and can be administered in one or more doseadministrations daily, for one or several days. However, this level ofdiagnosis is not needed if the patient is in need of immediate care. Inone example, the estrogen can be administered in less than 10, 20, 25,30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170,180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 500, or 1000 mL of solution.

Estrogen levels vary within the menstrual cycle, and are diminishedgreatly after menopause. In premenopausal women, the range in blood isfrom 50-400 pg/ml. After menopause, the range is from 20-40 pg/ml. Thelevel of estrogen in males is 12-34 pg/ml. E2 can be administered at adose of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3,1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, or 5.0 orgreater mg/kg. For example, in the treatment of acute uterine bleeding,25 mg is given every 4 hr for 3 injections for a total of 75 mg, whichwould approximate an average of 70 mg of estrogen given to a 70 kg humanmale).

2. Kits

Disclosed herein are kits. Specifically disclosed is a kit comprisingmicroencapsulated estrogen in a cyclodextrin complex. The estrogen canbe presented as a reconstitutable dry powder or sterile solution, andcan be in less than 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120,130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, or 250 mL ofvehicle. In one example, the estrogen can be in cyclodextrin. Theestrogen in the kit can be in a syringe, for example. The kit can be ina bulletproof container. In one example, the kit can comprise a packagecomprising at least two separate compartments, one of which containssterile dried estrogen and the other contains diluent, such ascyclodextrin, for example. The contents of the compartments can then becombined by breaking a barrier or septum between the chambers and mixingthe contents prior to injection. Thus, in one aspect disclosed hereinare kits comprising microencapsulated estrogen, wherein the estrogen isin less than 40 mL of vehicle.

In one aspect, disclosed herein are kits, wherein the estrogen is in asyringe.

Also disclosed are the kits of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is in a cyclodextrin complex.

Also disclosed are the kits of any preceding aspect, wherein the syringeis in a bulletproof container.

Also disclosed are the kits of any preceding aspect, comprising twoseparate compartments, one of which comprises sterile dried estrogen,and one comprises diluent.

Also disclosed are the kits of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen comprises 17α-estradiol, 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate, β-estradiol,17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, or equiline sulfate.

Also disclosed are the kits of any preceding aspect, wherein theestrogen is an ethinyl estrogen.

Also disclosed are the kits of any preceding aspect, wherein the ethinylestrogen is ethinyl 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate or ethinyl17β-estradiol-3-sulfate.

3. Compositions with Similar Functions

It is understood that the compositions disclosed herein have certainfunctions, for example, the estrogen allows for increased chance ofsurvival in response to trauma injury. Disclosed herein are certainstructural requirements for estrogen and the carriers thereof, and it isunderstood that there are a variety of structures which can perform thesame function which are related to the disclosed structures, and thatthese structures will ultimately achieve the same result, for example,treating traumatic injury as previously described.

D. EXAMPLES 1. Example 1 Female Sex Hormones Regulate MacrophageFunction after Trauma-Hemorrhage and Prevent Increased Death Rate fromSubsequent Sepsis

Circulating female sex hormones were reduced by ovariectomy of8-week-old female CBA/J mice. Two weeks afterward, ovariectomy andproestrus sham-ovariectomy mice were subjected to laparotomy (i.e., softtissue trauma) and hemorrhagic shock (35±5 mm Hg for 90 minutes, thenresuscitated) or sham operation. Two hours afterward, splenic andperitoneal MΦ and Kupffer cells were isolated and cytokine productionwas assessed. In a second series of experiments, animals were subjectedto sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture at 24 hours aftertrauma-hemorrhage or sham operation, and survival was assessed.

Release of interleukin-1 and interleukin-6 by splenic and peritoneal MΦfrom proestrus mice was maintained after trauma-hemorrhage, whereasrelease of interleukin-1 and interleukin-6 by M from ovariectomized micewas depressed by approximately 50%. In contrast, trauma-hemorrhageresulted in a fourfold increase of Kupffer cell release of tumornecrosis factor-alpha in ovariectomized females and a fivefold increasein plasma concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Release oftumor necrosis factor-alpha and plasma concentrations were unchanged inproestrus mice under such conditions. When proestrus and ovariectomizedanimals were subjected to sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture at 24hours after trauma-hemorrhage or sham operation, ovariectomized mice hada significantly higher death rate than proestrus mice.

These findings show that female sex hormones play a critical role inmaintaining immune responses after trauma-hemorrhage by suppressing theelaboration of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and prevent the increasedlethality from subsequent sepsis. Thus, female sex hormones may be auseful adjunct in preventing trauma-induced immunodepression andincreased susceptibility to subsequent sepsis.

Methods

Animals

Inbred female CBA/J mice (Jackson Laboratories, Bar Harbor, Me.), 8 to 9weeks old (24-26 g), were used in this study.

Experimental Groups

To determine the role of female sex hormones in the regulation of immuneresponses, ovariectomy or sham-ovariectomy was performed in female CBA/Jmice 2 weeks before trauma-hemorrhage. Two weeks after ovariectomy orsham-ovariectomy, the animals were divided into four groups. Groups 1and 2 consisted of sham-ovariectomy females in the proestrus state ofthe estrus cycle; this was determined by microscopic examination ofvaginal cytology. Animals in groups 3 and 4 consisted of ovariectomizedfemales. The animals in groups 1 and 3 served as sham-operated animals(neither hemorrhaged nor resuscitated). Animals in groups 2 and 4 weresubjected to the trauma-hemorrhage procedure. Each group consisted ofseven or eight animals. In additional studies, ovariectomy andsham-ovariectomy females were subjected to sepsis at 24 hours aftertrauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation or sham operation. In allexperimental groups, polymicrobial sepsis was induced by cecal ligationand puncture (CLP), and survival was assessed for up to 10 days afterthe induction of sepsis. Each group consisted of 20 animals.

Trauma-Hemorrhage Procedure

Mice in the trauma-hemorrhage groups were lightly anesthetized withmethoxyflurane (Metofane, Pitman Moore, Mundelein, Ill.) and restrainedin a supine position, and a 2.5-cm midline laparotomy (i.e., soft tissuetrauma induced) was performed. It was then closed aseptically in twolayers using 6-0 Ethilon sutures (Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, N.J.). Bothfemoral arteries were then aseptically cannulated with polyethylene 10tubing (Clay-Adams, Parsippany, N.J.) using a minimal dissectiontechnique, and the animals were allowed to awaken. Blood pressure wasconstantly monitored by attaching one of the catheters to a bloodpressure analyzer (Micro-Med, Inc., Louisville, Ky.). Lidocaine wasapplied to the incision sites to provide analgesia during the studyperiod. On awakening, the animals were bled rapidly through the othercatheter to a mean arterial blood pressure of 35±5 mm Hg (mean arterialblood pressure before hemorrhage was 95±5 mm Hg); this was maintainedfor 90 minutes. At the end of that procedure, the animals wereresuscitated with four times the shed blood volume in the form oflactated Ringer's solution. The catheters were then removed, the vesselsligated, and the groin incisions closed. Sham-operated animals in groups1 and 3 underwent the same surgical procedure, which included ligationof both femoral arteries, but neither hemorrhage nor fluid resuscitationwas carried out. There were no deaths observed in this model oftrauma-hemorrhage. The animals were killed by methoxyflurane overdose at2 hours after trauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation to obtain the spleen,liver, peritoneal Mφ, uterus, and whole blood.

Cecal Ligation and Puncture Procedure

Polymicrobial sepsis was induced at 24 hours after trauma-hemorrhage andresuscitation using the CLP method described by Baker et al. 19 Briefly,mice were anesthetized with methoxyflurane and a 2-cm midline laparotomywas performed. The cecum was isolated and ligated just below theileocecal valve. The cecum was then punctured twice with a 22-gaugeneedle, a small amount of bowel contents was extruded through thepuncture holes, and the cecum was returned to the peritoneal cavity. Theabdominal incision was closed in two layers using 6-0 Ethilon sutures.Normal saline solution (20 mL/kg) was administered subcutaneously atthat time. Previous studies have shown that blood cultures taken frommice after CLP are positive for gram-positive (e.g., Streptococcusbovis) as well as gram-negative (e.g., Bacteroides fragilis).(Watanakunakorn 1994).

Plasma Collection and Storage

Whole blood was obtained by cardiac puncture. Plasma was separated bycentrifugation in pyrogen-free microcentrifuge tubes and samples wereimmediately frozen and stored (−80° C.) until assayed.

Preparation of Splenic and Peritoneal Macrophage Cultures

Spleens were harvested 2 hours after sham operation or trauma-hemorrhageaseptically, and splenic MΦ cultures were established as previouslydescribed (Zellweger 1996). Resident peritoneal MΦ were harvested at thesame time and monolayers were established as previously described (Ayala1990). These protocols provided peritoneal and splenic MΦ populationsthat were at least 95% positive for nonspecific esterase staining andexhibited typical MΦ morphology. Splenic and peritoneal MΦ monolayers(1×106 cells/mL) were stimulated with 10 μg lipopolysaccharide (from E.coli 055:B5, Difco Laboratories, Detroit, Mich.)/mL Click's mediumcontaining 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (Gibco BRL, GrandIsland, N.Y.) for 48 hours (at 37° C., 5% CO2, and 90% humidity) toassess the cells' ability to release cytokines. The same lot of fetalbovine serum was used for all experiments to control for steroid contentof the culture media. Culture supernatants were collected and stored at80° C. until assayed for IL-1, IL-6, and IL-10.

Preparation of Kupffer Cell Cultures

Kupffer cells were harvested as previously described (Ayala 1992). Inbrief, retrograde perfusion of the liver was performed with 35 mLice-cold Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS, Ca2+/Mg2+ free, 37° C.,Gibco BRL) through the portal vein. This was immediately followed byperfusion with 10 mL 0.075% collagenase type IV (162 U/mg, SigmaChemical Co., St. Louis, Mo.) in HBSS at 37° C. The liver wastransferred to a petri dish containing warm 0.075% collagenase, mincedfinely, incubated at 37° C. for 10 minutes, and passed through a sterile150-mesh stainless-steel screen into a beaker containing 10 mL cold HBSSand 10% fetal bovine serum. The cell suspension was then layered over16% metrizamide (Accurate Chemical & Scientific Corp., Westbury, N.Y.)in HBSS and centrifuged at 3,000 g, 4° C., for 45 minutes to separatethe Kupffer cells from the remaining parenchymal cells in the pellet.After removal of the nonparenchymal cells from the interface with aPasteur pipette, the cells were washed twice by centrifugation (800 g,15 minutes, 4° C.) with HBSS, and resuspended in Click's mediumcontaining 10% fetal bovine serum. The cells were transferred to a24-well plate that was precoated with 0.5 mL of 6-μg vitrogen 100(Collagen Biomaterials, Collagen Corporation, Palo Alto, Calif.)/mL(plates were washed with phosphate-buffered saline three times beforecell transfer) and incubated for 3 hours at 37° C. (5% CO2, 90%humidity). Non-adherent cells were then removed by washing three timeswith Click's medium. This protocol provides adherent cells that are morethan 95% positive by nonspecific esterase staining and that exhibittypical MΦ morphology (Ayala 1992). The Kupffer cells (1.5×106 Kupffercells mL-1 per well) were incubated for 24 hours (37° C., 5% CO2) with10 μg lipopolysaccharide/mL Click's medium with 10% fetal bovine serum.Culture supernatants were collected and stored at 80° C. until assayedfor tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10.

Assessment of 17β-Estradiol and Cytokine Concentrations

17β-estradiol plasma concentrations were determined using a commerciallyavailable radioimmunoassay (ICN Biomedicals, Costa Mesa, Calif.) asdescribed by the manufacturer. Activity of IL-1β was determined byadding serial dilutions of plasma or supernatants to D10.G4.1 cells inthe presence of Concanavalin A, as previously described (Ayala 1992). Incertain experiments IL-1β was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbentassay according to the manufacturer's recommendations (GenzymeDiagnostics, Cambridge, Mass.). Activity of IL-6 was determined byassessing the 72-hour proliferation of the IL-6-dependent murinehybridoma 7TD1 stimulated by serial dilutions of plasma or supernatant,as described previously (Ayala 1992). Activity of TNF-α was determinedby the 24-hour cytotoxicity induced in WEHI-164 clone 13 cells in thepresence of serial dilutions of plasma or supernatant, as describedelsewhere. Concentrations of IL-10 were determined by enzyme-linkedimmunosorbent assay according to the manufacturer's recommendations(Pharmingen, San Diego, Calif.).

Statistical Analysis

Data are presented as mean standard error. One-way analysis of variancefollowed by the Student-Newman-Keuls test as a post hoc test formultiple comparisons was used to determine the significance of thedifferences between experimental means. A t test was used to determinethe significance of differences in 17β-estradiol plasma concentrationsand uterine wet weight between proestrus and ovariectomized mice. Todetermine the significance of the differences between death rates in thesurvival study, a z test was used. P<0.05 was considered significant.

Results

Biologic Effect of Ovariectomy

At 2 weeks after ovariectomy, plasma concentrations of 17β-estradiolwere significantly lower in ovariectomized females compared withsham-ovariectomy females in the proestrus state of the estrus cycle(22.5±2.9 vs. 10.0±1.9 pg/mL; mean±SEM of seven or eight mice pergroup). Uterine wet weight was also significantly lower inovariectomized females compared with sham-ovariectomy females (63.9±12.6vs. 19.5±3.4 mg).

Macrophage Interleukin-1 Release

Splenic MΦ IL-1 release was significantly increased in proestrussham-ovariectomy females after trauma-hemorrhage (P<0.05 vs.sham-operated proestrus females; FIG. 1). In ovariectomized females,splenic MΦ IL-1 release was significantly depressed aftertrauma-hemorrhage (P<0.05 vs. sham-operated ovariectomized females).Similar changes in peritoneal MΦ IL-1 release were observed. In contrastto splenic and peritoneal MΦ, hepatic MΦ (Kupffer cell) IL-1 release wasnot significantly increased in proestrus females aftertrauma-hemorrhage. In ovariectomized females, however, Kupffer cell IL-1release was significantly increased (P<0.05) approximately 2.5-fold inanimals that underwent trauma-hemorrhage compared with ovariectomyshams.

Macrophage Interleukin-6 Release

Splenic MΦ IL-6 release was significantly increased (P<0.05) inproestrus females after trauma-hemorrhage compared with theircorresponding shams, whereas in ovariectomized females IL-6 productionwas significantly depressed (P<0.05) under such conditions (FIG. 2).Peritoneal MΦ IL-6 release after trauma-hemorrhage was unchanged inproestrus females compared with their corresponding shams. Inovariectomized females, however, peritoneal MΦ IL-6 release wassignificantly depressed in hemorrhaged animals versus sham-operatedanimals (P<0.05). Kupffer cell IL-6 release significantly increasedafter trauma-hemorrhage in proestrus and ovariectomized females(P<0.05). No differences were observed in post-trauma-hemorrhage Kupffercell IL-6 release between proestrus and ovariectomized females.

Macrophage Interleukin-10 Release

Production of IL-10 by splenic MΦ was significantly reduced in proestrusfemales at 2 hours after trauma-hemorrhage (FIG. 3; P<0.05). Incontrast, IL-10 release by splenic MΦ from ovariectomized females wasnot different from that in sham animals. Similar changes were observedin peritoneal MΦ, with the exception that ovariectomy significantlyreduced IL-10 release independent of trauma-hemorrhage. Aftertrauma-hemorrhage, Kupffer cell IL-10 release was significantlyincreased in proestrus and ovariectomized females to a similar extent(P<0.05).

Kupffer Cell Tumor Necrosis Factor

In proestrus females, a slight but insignificant increase in Kupffercell TNF-α release was observed after trauma-hemorrhage, whereas TNF-αrelease by Kupffer cells from ovariectomized females subjected totrauma-hemorrhage was increased approximately sevenfold compared withovariectomy shams (FIG. 4; P<0.05).

Plasma Concentrations of Interleukin-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor

At 2 hours after trauma-hemorrhage, a significant increase in plasmaconcentrations of IL-6 in proestrus and ovariectomized females wasobserved (FIG. 5; P<0.05). There was no significant difference in plasmaconcentrations of IL-6 between proestrus females and ovariectomizedfemales after trauma-hemorrhage. Trauma-hemorrhage did not increaseplasma TNF-α concentrations in proestrus females, but in ovariectomizedfemales TNF-α concentrations were significantly increased (P<0.05)approximately six-fold after trauma-hemorrhage.

Survival From Subsequent Sepsis

The results of the trauma-hemorrhage and subsequent sepsis experimentare shown in FIG. 6. No difference was observed in the death rates ofproestrus females that underwent trauma-hemorrhage or sham operation 24hours before the induction of sepsis. However, in ovariectomizedfemales, the death rate of sham-operated animals subjected to sepsis wassignificantly higher than that of proestrus shams (P<0.05). Further,from postoperative day 6, the death rate of ovariectomized females thatunderwent trauma-hemorrhage before sepsis induction was significantlyhigher than that of the sham-operated ovariectomized females (P<0.05).

Discussion

The differences in systemic sex hormone levels between proestrus andovariectomized females are associated with profound alterations in theimmunologic response to trauma-hemorrhage. These results indicate thatfemales in the proestrus state had increased splenic and peritoneal MΦproinflammatory cytokine production after trauma-hemorrhage. However, inovariectomized females, trauma-hemorrhage resulted in depressed splenicand peritoneal MΦ proinflammatory cytokine production under suchconditions. Because ovariectomy led to a depression of MΦ IL-1 and IL-6production after trauma-hemorrhage, it appears that physiologic levelsof female sex steroids are involved in the regulation of MΦproinflammatory cytokine production. The depression of splenic andperitoneal MΦ function seen in ovariectomized females aftertrauma-hemorrhage is comparable to the depression observed in malesunder such conditions, indicating that the presence of male sex steroids(i.e., testosterone) and the reduction of female sex steroids producecomparable immunodepressive effects on MΦ under such conditions.

Ovariectomy, independent of trauma-hemorrhage, altered splenic andperitoneal MΦ cytokine production, consistent with studies by Deshpandeet al. showing the suppressive effects of 17β-estradiol on splenic MΦIL-1 and IL-6 production. The observed increase in proinflammatorycytokine production by splenic MΦ from ovariectomized females is mostlikely due to the decrease in systemic 17β-estradiol levels. Thedivergent responses observed between sham and trauma-hemorrhage animalssupport the concept that hormonal regulation of immune function in atraumatized host differs substantially from the regulation under normalconditions. The anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 has previously beenidentified as an important immunosuppressant of cell-mediated immunefunctions (Howard et al. 1992) and has been implicated in thesuppression of splenocyte immune functions after trauma-hemorrhage(Ayala 1992). Female sex hormones suppress IL-10 production by splenicand peritoneal MΦ after trauma-hemorrhage, thereby allowing maintainedproduction of proinflammatory mediators.

These results also indicate that Kupffer cell IL-1β and TNF-α releaseincreased in ovariectomized females after trauma-hemorrhage, whereas nodifference was seen in proestrus females. The activation of Kupffer cellTNF-α production in ovariectomized females was associated withsignificantly increased circulating concentrations of TNF-α aftertrauma-hemorrhage, whereas plasma TNF-α remained at sham concentrationsin proestrus females. Previous studies have implicated TNF-α as animportant mediator in the immune depression after trauma-hemorrhage.30

The absence of a systemic TNF-α response in proestrus females aftertrauma-hemorrhage can in part explain the lack of immune depression andincreased susceptibility to subsequent sepsis. There was no differencein Kupffer cell IL-6 production and plasma IL-6 concentrations betweenproestrus and ovariectomized females after trauma-hemorrhage; this canbe related to the early time point used in this study. The elevation inplasma IL-6 concentrations after trauma-hemorrhage is more protractedthan that of TNF-α (Schwacha 1992).

There was no difference in the death rates of proestrus females thatunderwent trauma-hemorrhage or sham operation before the induction ofsepsis. In contrast, the death rate of ovariectomized females thatunderwent trauma-hemorrhage before induction of sepsis was higher thanthat of sham-operated ovariectomized females. Thus, physiologic levelsof female sex steroids appear to prevent an increased death rate fromsepsis in females after trauma-hemorrhage. The death rate ofovariectomized sham-operated animals was significantly higher than thatof proestrus shams, further supporting a protective role for female sexhormones after sepsis.

Example 2 The Female Reproductive Cycle is an Important Variable in theResponse to Trauma-Hemorrhage

Although immune functions in proestrus females are maintained afterhemorrhage as opposed to decreased responses in males, it has previouslybeen unknown whether such a sexual dimorphism also exists with regard tocardiovascular and hepatocellular functions under those conditions. Tostudy this, male and female (estrus and proestrus) rats underwent a 5-cmmidline laparotomy and were bled to and maintained at a mean bloodpressure of 40 mmHg until 40% of the maximal bleed-out volume wasreturned in the form of Ringer lactate (RL). Rats were then resuscitatedwith four times the shed blood volume with RL. At 24 h thereafter,cardiac index; heart performance; hepatocellular function; and plasmaestradiol, testosterone, and prolactin levels were measured.Cardiovascular and hepatocellular functions were depressed in males andestrus females (p<0.05) but were not depressed in proestrus femalesafter resuscitation. Plasma estradiol and prolactin levels were highestin proestrus females (p<0.05), whereas males had high testosterone andthe lowest estradiol levels (p<0.05). Thus the female reproductive cycleis an important variable in the response to hemorrhage.

Materials and Methods

Experimental procedures. The previously described nonheparinized modelof trauma-hemorrhage in the rat (Chaudry 1996; Wang 1999) was used withminor modifications. Briefly, age-matched adult male and femaleSprague-Dawley rats (males, 275-325 g; females, 200-250 g; Charles RiverLaboratories, Wilmington, Mass.) were fasted overnight before theexperiment but were allowed water ad libitum. The stage of the femalereproductive cycle was determined by regular examination of the vaginalsmears by the same examiner. Proestrus was defined when both leukocytesand nucleated epithelial cells in approximately equal numbers werepresent on the vaginal smears. Estrus was characterized by large,squamous-type epithelial cells without nuclei. In female rats,experiments were performed only after at least one complete estrus cyclehad been documented. The cycle phase was determined from the cytology ofvaginal smears obtained daily at 0700-0830. The hemorrhage procedurebegan between 0900 and 1000. The rats were anesthetized bymethoxyflurane (Mallinckrodt Veterinary, Mundelein, Ill.) inhalation,and catheters were placed in both femoral arteries and the right femoralvein [polyethylene (PE-50) tubing; Becton-Dickinson, Sparks, Md.]. Aftercatheterization of the first femoral artery, ˜600 ml of blood werewithdrawn as described below (see Plasma collection and storage). Afterthis, a 5-cm midline laparotomy representing soft-tissue trauma wasperformed. The abdomen was then closed in layers, and the wounds werebathed with 1% lidocaine (Elkins-Sinn, Cherry Hill, N.J.) throughout thesurgical procedure to reduce postoperative pain. Rats were then bled toand maintained at a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 40 mmHg until theanimals could not maintain a MAP of 40 mmHg unless extra fluid in theform of Ringer lactate was given. This time was defined as maximum bleedout, and the amount of withdrawn blood was noted. After this, the ratswere maintained at a MAP of 40 mmHg until

40% of the maximum bleed-out volume was returned in the form of Ringerlactate. The animals were then resuscitated with four times the volumeof the withdrawn blood over 60 min with Ringer lactate. The shed bloodwas not used for resuscitation. The catheters were then removed, thevessels were ligated, and the skin incisions were closed with sutures.Sham-operated animals underwent the same groin dissection, whichincluded the ligation of both femoral arteries and the right vein;however, neither hemorrhage nor resuscitation was carried out.

After the rats were returned to their cages, they were allowed food andwater ad libitum. At 24 h after the completion of fluid resuscitation orsham operation, the animals were anesthetized with methoxyflurane andthen catheterized via the right jugular vein. During the monitoring ofMAP and heart rate, pentobarbital sodium (25-30 mg/kg body wt)administration was carefully carried out to keep animals in a state ofdepressed sensibility. After each bolus injection of pentobarbital,several minutes passed before heart rate and MAP reached steady-statelevels.

Measurement of cardiac output. A 2.4-French fiberoptic catheter wasplaced into the right carotid artery, which was connected to an in vivohemoreflectometer (Hospex Fiberoptics, Chestnut Hill, Mass.) asdescribed previously (Wang 1991). Indocyanine green (ICG; Cardio Green,Becton-Dickinson) solution was injected via the catheter in the jugularvein (1 mg/ml aqueous solution as a 50-ml bolus). Twenty ICGconcentrations per second were recorded for ˜30 s with the aid of adata-acquisition program (Asystant1; Asyst Software, Rochester, N.Y.).The area under the ICG dilution curve was then determined to calculatecardiac output (CO). CO was then divided by the body weight to determinecardiac index.

Measurement of hepatocellular function. Hepatocellular function wasmeasured by the in vivo ICG clearance technique. ICG was administered bybolus injection (50 ml) of 1, 2, and 5 mg/ml ICG in aqueous solvent. Thearterial concentration of ICG was recorded each second for 5 min. Afterthis, the initial velocity of ICG clearance for each dose was calculatedafter performance of a nonlinear regression of the ICG clearance curvesaccording to an e-raised second-order polynomial function (Wang 1990).The initial velocities of ICG clearance were then plotted against theICG doses according to the methods of Lineweaver-Burk (Hauptmann 1991).This results in a straight line, allowing for the determination of amaximum of ICG clearance (maximal velocity; Vmax) and theMichaelis-Menten constant (Km). In this active hepatocellular membranetransport system, Vmax represents the functional hepatocyte ICGreceptors, and Km represents the efficiency of the active transportprocess (Wang 1990).

Measurement of in vivo heart performance. After the determination of COand hepatocellular function, the fiberoptic catheter in the rightcarotid artery was replaced with PE-50 tubing, which was manuallystretched to reduce the outer diameter by ˜50%. Under pressure control,this catheter was carefully advanced into the left ventricle. Theposition of the catheter was confirmed by recording of thecharacteristic left ventricle pressure curve. Data were analyzed from anin vivo heart performance analyzer (Micro-Med, Louisville, Ky.). Leftventricular performance parameters such as the maximal rate of pressureincrease (1 dP/dtmax) and decrease (2 dP/dtmax) were documented with adata acquisition system (DMSI 200-8, Micro-Med).

Determination of circulating blood volume. Circulating blood volume(CBV) was determined by use of an in vivo ICG clearance technique asdescribed previously (27). CBV in milliliters was calculated accordingto

-   -   CBV 5 ICG dose (0.1 mg)/[ICG]0 3 1.000    -   where [ICG]0 is the ICG concentration at baseline, and CBV in        milliliters per 100 g body wt was then calculated.

Plasma collection and storage. At the start of the experiments, 600 mlof heparinized whole blood for the determination of baseline hormonelevels were withdrawn and replaced with 2.4 ml of Ringer lactate. At theend of all measurements (i.e., 25 h after the end of trauma-hemorrhageand resuscitation), heparinized whole blood was obtained. Blood wasplaced in microcentrifuge tubes and then centrifuged at 16,000 rpm for15 min at 4° C. Plasma and serum were separated, placed in pyrogen-freemicrocentrifuge tubes, immediately frozen, and stored until assay.

Determination of plasma sex steroids. Plasma testosterone was determinedwith the use of a commercially available coated-tube RIA kit (DiagnosticSystems, Webster, Tex.) according to the manufacturer's instructions.Cross-reactivity of the RIA was as follows: 100% for testosterone; 3.4%for 5α-dihydrotestosterone; 2.2% for 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol; 2% for11-oxotestosterone; and ˜1% for all other steroids. Plasma 17β-estradiolconcentration was determined with the use of a commercially availableRIA kit specifically designed for rats and mice (ICN Biomedicals, CostaMesa, Calif.). Cross-reactivity of the RIA was 100% for 17β-estradioland 20% or 1.51% for estrone or estriol, respectively. For all othersteroids, the cross-reactivity was ˜0.01%.

Determination of plasma prolactin levels. Prolactin levels were measuredby use of an enzyme immunosorbent assay kit (SPI Bio, Massy Cedex,France) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Cross-reactivitywith rat luteinizing hormone, growth hormone, and thyroid-stimulatinghormone is below 1%. The sensitivity of the assay is 0.5 ng/ml, and themean interassay variation is 14%. The intra-assay coefficient ofvariation is 9.4 and 8.6% in the lower and higher range, respectively.

Statistical analysis. Results are presented as means 6 SE. One-way ANOVAand Student-Newman-Keuls test for multiple comparisons were used, andthe differences were considered significant at p<0.05. There were 8, 6,and 6 animals in the sham-operated male, estrus, and proestrus groups,respectively, and 7, 8, and 8 animals in the male, estrus, and proestrushemorrhaged groups, respectively.

Results

Effects of trauma-hemorrhage on cardiac index. The results in FIG. 7indicate that cardiac index was similar in the three groups ofsham-operated animals (male, 39.5±0.9; estrus, 40.9±2.7; and proestrus,39.2±1.5 ml z min-l-100 g-l). In male and estrus female hemorrhagedanimals, cardiac index decreased by 24.1 and 20.5% (30.0±1.8 and32.6±1.7 ml·min-l·100 g-l; p<0.05 compared with the correspondingshams), respectively. However, cardiac index in hemorrhaged proestrusfemale rats was similar to the respective sham group at 24 h after thecompletion of fluid resuscitation (38.3±1.7 ml·min-l·100 g-l).

Effects of trauma-hemorrhage on heart performance. The +dP/dtmax (male,10,858±357; estrus, 11,224±428; and proestrus, 11,713±691 mmHg/s) and−dP/dtmax (male, 7,085±429; estrus, 7,067±511; and proestrus, 6,728±380mmHg/s) in the left ventricle were similar in the three groups of shamanimals (FIGS. 8, A and B). At 24 h after trauma-hemorrhage andcrystalloid resuscitation, the 1 dP/dtmax in the left ventricle wasdecreased by 30.2 and 26.7% (7,585±732 and 8,235±1,131 mmHg/s; p<0.05compared with the corresponding shams) in male and female estrus rats,respectively (FIG. 8A). In contrast, the values for 1 dP/dtmax in posthemorrhaged female proestrus rats were similar to the respective shamanimals (11,971±812 mmHg/s) and were significantly higher than inhemorrhaged males and estrus females. In a similar fashion, the 2dP/dtmax in the left ventricle was also diminished in male and femaleestrus rats after trauma-hemorrhage (4,915±377 and 4,711±492 mmHg/s,respectively; p<0.05 compared with the corresponding shams). In femaleproestrus animals, however, 2 dP/dtmax was maintained at the level ofsham-operated animals (6,852±6 846 mmHg/s) and was significantly higherthan in male and female estrus animals after trauma-hemorrhage.

Effects of trauma-hemorrhage on hepatocellular function. No significantdifference in the Vmax of ICG clearance was evident between the shamanimals (male, 1.1±0.2; estrus, 1.2±0.3; and proestrus, 1.0±21·min-l;FIG. 9A). In male and estrus fe-0.2 mg·kg male rats subjected totrauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation, Vmax decreased by 80.1 and 83.2%(0.21±0.03 and 0.19±0.03 mg·kg-l·min-l), respectively, compared with thecorresponding sham groups (p<0.05). In contrast, proestrus female ratshad significantly higher values for Vmax (0.83±0.16 mg·kg-l·min-l 24 hafter crystalloid resuscitation. As indicated in FIG. 9B, Km was similarin the three groups of sham-operated animals (male, 2.5±0.5; estrus,3.4±0.7; and proestrus, 2.9±0.7 mg/kg) and decreased by 64.9 and 79.8%(0.8±0.2 and 0.7±0.08 mg/kg) in male and estrus female rats,respectively, compared with the corresponding sham groups at 24 h aftertrauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation (p<0.05). In contrast, Km wassignificantly higher in hemorrhaged proestrus female animals (3.0±0.5mg/kg) compared with male and estrus female rats (p<0.05).

Effects of trauma-hemorrhage on CBV. CBV was found to be 6.51±0.18,6.56±0.38, and 6.81±0.29 ml/100 g in male and female proestrus animals,respectively. At 24 hours after trauma-hemorrhage and crystalloidresuscitation, CBV was significantly decreased in all three groups(4.61±0.19, 4.8±0.29, and 4.9±0.39 ml/100 g in male and estrus andproestrus female rats, respectively; p<0.05) compared with therespective sham animals, with no significant difference between thehemorrhaged groups.

Plasma estradiol levels. Plasma levels of estradiol were found to be thehighest in proestrus female animals (83±5 pg/ml; FIG. 11A) and weresignificantly lower in male (32±5 pg/ml) and estrus female (56±8 pg/ml)rats at the start of the experiments (p<0.05).

At 24 h after trauma-hemorrhage and crystalloid resuscitation, plasmaestradiol levels decreased by 31.2, 23.5, and 27.4% (21±5, 43±1.3, and60±6 pg/ml) in male and estrus and proestrus female animals,respectively, with a higher plasma concentration in proestrus femalescompared with the other two hemorrhaged groups (p<0.05).

Plasma testosterone levels. Plasma levels of testosterone were found tobe 2.7±0.36 ng/ml in male rats at the start of the experiments anddecreased by 89.5% (0.28±0.06 ng/ml; p<0.05) at 24 h after thecompletion of crystalloid resuscitation (FIG. 11B).

Plasma prolactin levels. Plasma levels of prolactin were found to be thehighest in proestrus female rats (30.8±9.0 ng/ml; FIG. 11C) and werelower in males (5.7±1.4 ng/ml; p<0.05) and estrus females (12.7±3.85ng/ml; p<0.05) at the start of the experiment.

There was no significant difference in plasma prolactin concentration at24 h after trauma-hemorrhage and crystalloid resuscitation among thethree groups.

Effects of gender on body weight, total CBV, hematocrit, maximalbleed-out volume, and hemorrhage time.

TABLE 1 Comparison between male and female estrus and proestrus rats:Males Female Estrus Female Proestrus Body wt, g 318 ± 6.1*† 223 ± 4.5226 ± 4.9 Total CBV, ml 18.3 ± 0.5*† 14.2 ± 0.7 15.4 ± 0.5 Hct, % 45.8 ±1.1* 40.6 ± 1.4 43.5 ± 1.1 MBO, ml 10.4 ± 0.37*†  7.7 ± 0.23  7.5 ± 0.22Hemorrhage time, 90.5 ± 1.8 91.1 ± 0.5 90.8 ± 0.6 min

Data are means 6 SE. Total CBV, total circulating blood volume from FIG.10; Hct, systemic hematocrit; MBO, maximal bleed-out volume; hemorrhagetime, total time in shock until start of resuscitation. For furtherdetails, see materials and methods. Data were compared by 1-way ANOVAand Student-Newman-Keuls test. * p<0.05 vs. female estrus and † p<0.05vs. female proestrus.

As shown in Table 1, age-matched male rats had a significantly higherbody weight than female animals. Similarly, total CBV was higher inmales (p<0.05). Systemic hematocrit was 45.8±1.1% in the male group andwas lower in female estrus (40.6±1.4%; p<0.05) and proestrus animals(43.5±1.1%). Maximal bleed-out volume (MBO) was also significantlyhigher in males compared with both female groups because of the higherbody weight of male rats (Table 1). There was no significant differencein the time until 40% of the MBO volume was returned in the form ofRinger lactate in the three groups.

Discussion

It was found that cardiac output, heart performance parameters, andhepatocellular function, as determined by ICG clearance technique, aresignificantly depressed in male and female estrus rats at 24 h aftertrauma and severe hemorrhagic shock. In female proestrus animals,however, organ functions were not significantly different compared withtheir respective sham group, i.e., female rats undergoing sham operationon the morning of the proestrus phase of the reproductive cycle.Moreover, the data indicate that the normalized cardiac and hepaticfunctions in proestrus female animals were associated with peak levelsof estradiol and prolactin at the start of the experiment, whereas maleand female estrus rodents had significantly lower plasma levels ofestradiol and prolactin. Although plasma levels of prolactin weresimilar in all three groups at 24 h after crystalloid resuscitation, itappears that the high levels of prolactin found in proestrus femalesbefore the onset of trauma-hemorrhage have salutary effects on organfunctions under those conditions.

The data demonstrate that ovarian and gonadal sex steroids as well asthe anterior pituitary hormone prolactin are associated with thegender-dimorphic response to trauma and severe blood loss. Although17β-estradiol levels were higher in female estrus animals than in malesat the start of the experiment, it appears that this was not sufficientto protect organ functions after trauma-hemorrhage. For thedetermination of plasma hormone levels, each animal served as its owncontrol, because blood samples were obtained at baseline, i.e., beforethe midline laparotomy and onset of blood loss, and at 24 h aftertrauma-hemorrhage and crystalloid resuscitation. Although testosteronewas undetectable in the plasma of females in the present study, thebiologically more active form, 5α-dihydrotestosterone, has been foundalso in female rodents. However, because the measurement of5α-dihydrotestosterone requires larger volumes of blood samples and anextraction procedure because of cross-reactivity of the antibody withother steroids, measurement of 5α-dihydrotestosterone was not performed.

It appears that not only low levels of estrogens but also high levels ofmale sex steroids are responsible for the depression of organ functionsafter hemorrhagic shock. In this regard, implantation oftestosterone-releasing pellets in female mice caused a significantdecrease in plasma levels of 17β-estradiol and a marked depression inimmune functions as observed in male rodents, whereas vehicle-treatedproestrus females maintained their immune responsiveness under thoseconditions (Chaudry 1992).

In the present experiments males were included for the followingreasons. First, males, unlike females, have consistently low levels ofestrogens with very little fluctuation over a period of time. Second,the surge in estradiol and prolactin in the morning of proestrus infemale rats does explain only partially the sexual dimorphism in theresponse to trauma and severe blood loss. It appears that in males, notonly the lack of such an increase in estradiol and prolactin but alsothe high levels of testosterone are responsible for the depression inorgan functions after trauma-hemorrhage (Ayala 1991; Ertel 1991; Ertel1994).

In summary, the results indicate that female proestrus rats havenormalized organ functions at 24 h after trauma-hemorrhage, whereas maleand female estrus animals show a marked depression in cardiovascular andhepatocellular functions. The maintenance of cardiac and hepaticfunctions after severe blood loss is associated with high levels of17β-estradiol and prolactin.

3. Example 3 Estradiol Administration After Trauma-Hemorrhage ImprovesCardiovascular and Hepatocellular Functions in Male Animals

Studies indicate that gender difference exists in the immune andcardiovascular responses to trauma-hemorrhage, and that male sexsteroids appear to be responsible for producing immune and organdysfunction, but it was previously unknown if sex steroids produce anysalutary effects on the depressed cellular and organ functions in malesfollowing trauma and hemorrhage.

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent a midline laparotomy (i.e.,trauma induction), and were bled to and maintained at a mean arterialpressure of 40 mmHg until 40% of the maximum bleed-out volume wasreturned in the form of Ringer's lactate (RL). Animals were thenresuscitated with RL at 4 times the shed blood over 60 minutes.17β-Estradiol (50 mg/kg) or an equal volume of vehicle was injectedsubcutaneously 15 minutes before the end of resuscitation. The maximalrate of ventricular pressure increase or decrease (6 dP/dtmax), cardiacoutput, and hepatocellular function (i.e., maximal velocity and overallefficiency of in vivo indocyanine green clearance) were assessed at 24hours after hemorrhage and resuscitation. Plasma levels of interleukin(IL)-6 were also measured.

Left ventricular performance, cardiac output, and hepatocellularfunction decreased significantly at 24 hours after trauma-hemorrhage andresuscitation. Plasma levels of IL-6 were elevated. Administration of17β-estradiol significantly improved cardiac performance, cardiacoutput, and hepatocellular function, and attenuated the increase inplasma IL-6 levels.

Administration of estrogen appears to be a useful adjunct for restoringcardiovascular and hepatocellular functions after trauma-hemorrhage inmale rats.

Severe hemorrhage, which often occurs with trauma, is known to producemany life-threatening sequelae. Patients who survive the initialtraumatic insult remain susceptible to sepsis, septic shock, multipleorgan failure, and death (Baue 1998). Cellular dysfunction occurs inmany organ systems, including the cardiovascular, liver, gut, andadrenal, after hemorrhagic shock, and remain depressed for a prolongedperiod of time (Wang 1990; Wang 1997; Wang 1998). Moreover, a markeddepression in both specific and nonspecific cell-mediated immunity,which can explain the enhanced susceptibility to sepsis after suchevents, has been reported (Chaudry 1990).

Sex hormones are known to modulate immune function in animals and inhumans under normal and various stress conditions (Homo-Delarche 1991).Studies have shown that female mice maintain their immune responsesafter trauma-hemorrhage, but male mice have markedly depressed responses(Wichmann 1996). Studies have demonstrated that male sex steroids can beresponsible for producing the depression in cell and organ functionsafter trauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation (Wichmann 1996; Slimmer 1996).Additional support for this notion comes from studies that showed thatcastration of male animals 14 days before hemorrhagic shock preventedthe depression in myocardial functions and immune responses observedunder those conditions in noncastrated animals (Wichmann 1996; Remmers1998). Furthermore, administration of flutamide, a testosterone receptorantagonist, improved the depressed immune responses and cardiac andhepatic functions in male animals after trauma and severe hemorrhage(Remmers 1997). Male and female sex steroids such as testosterone andestradiol play an opposite role in the development of cell and organdysfunction after injury.

Estradiol is the predominant circulating sex hormone in females, and hasbeen shown to have protective effects after adverse circulatoryconditions such as organ ischemia and reperfusion (Dubal 1999; Fraser1999). Moreover, the estrogen receptor is expressed in several organs inmale animals such as the cardiovascular system and the liver (Echeverria1994).

Materials and Methods

Experimental Procedures

The nonheparinized model of trauma-hemorrhage in the rat was used (Wang1990). Male Sprague-Dawley rats (275-325 g, Charles River Labs,Wilmington, Mass.) were fasted overnight before the experiment but wereallowed water ad libitum. The rats were anesthetized by methoxyflurane(Mallinckrodt Veterinary Inc., Mundelein, Ill.) inhalation prior to theinduction of soft tissue trauma via 5-cm midline laparotomy. The abdomenwas closed in layers, and catheters were placed in both femoral arteriesand the right femoral vein (polyethylene [PE-50] tubing; BectonDickinson & Co., Sparks, Md.). The wounds were bathed with 1% lidocaine(Elkins-Sinn Inc., Cherry Hill, N.J.) throughout the surgical procedureto reduce postoperative pain. Rats were then allowed to awaken, and bledto and maintained at a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 40 mmHg. Thislevel of hypotension was continued until the animals could not maintainMAP of 40 mmHg unless extra fluid, in the form of Ringer's lactate, wasgiven. This time was defined as maximum bleed-out, and the amount ofwithdrawn blood was noted. Following this, the rats were maintained atMAP of 40 mmHg until 40% of the maximum bleed-out volume was returned inthe form of Ringer's lactate. The animals were then resuscitated withfour times the volume of the withdrawn blood over 60 minutes (about 45mL/rat) with Ringer's lactate. The shed blood was not used forresuscitation. Fifteen minutes before the end of the resuscitationperiod, the rats received 50 mg/kg body weight 17 β-estradiol(β-estradiol 3-benzoate; Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.) subcutaneously or anequal volume of the vehicle (0.5 mL; corn oil, Sigma). The catheterswere then removed, the vessels ligated, and the skin incisions closedwith sutures. Sham-operated animals underwent the same groin dissection,which included the ligation of the femoral artery and vein, but neitherhemorrhage nor resuscitation was carried out.

After returning the rats to their cages, they were allowed food andwater ad libitum. At 24 hours after the completion of fluidresuscitation or sham-operation, the animals were anesthetized withmethoxyflurane and catheterized via the right jugular vein. Undercontinued general anesthesia with pentobarbital sodium (25-30 mg/kg BW),cardiac output and hepatocellular function were measured in each animal.

Measurement of Cardiac Output

A 2.4-French fiberoptic catheter was placed into the right carotidartery and connected to an in vivo hemoreflectometer (HospexFiberoptics, Chestnut Hill, Mass.), as described previously (Wang 1990).Indocyanine green (ICG; Cardio Green, Becton Dickinson) solution wasinjected via the catheter in the jugular vein (1 mg/mL aqueous solutionas a 50-mL bolus). Twenty ICG concentrations per second were recordedfor approximately 30 seconds with the aid of a data acquisition program(Asystantl; Asyst Software, Rochester, N.Y.). The area under the ICGdilution curve was determined to calculate cardiac output (CO), whichwas then divided by the body weight to determine cardiac index.

Stroke volume (SV) was calculated as:

SV=(CO/HR)×1,000

Total peripheral resistance (TPR) was calculated as:

TPR=(CO/HR)

Measurement of Hepatocellular Function

Hepatocellular function was measured by the in vivo ICG clearancetechnique (Hauptmann 1991); ICG was administered by bolus injection (50mL) of 1, 2, and 5 mg/mL ICG in aqueous solvent. The arterialconcentration of ICG was recorded each second for 5 minutes. The initialvelocity of ICG clearance for each dose was then calculated afterperforming a nonlinear regression of the ICG clearance curves accordingto an e-raised second order polynomial function (Wang 1990). The initialvelocities of ICG clearance were then plotted against the ICG dosesaccording to the methods of Lineweaver-Burk (Hauptmann 1998). Thisresulted in a straight line, allowing the determination of a maximum ofICG clearance (Vmax) and the Michaelis-Menten constant (Km). In thisactive hepatocellular membrane transport system, Vmax represents thefunctional hepatocyte ICG receptors and Km represents the efficiency ofthe active transport process.

Measurement of In Vivo Heart Performance

A polyethylene (PE-50) catheter was placed in the right carotid arteryand carefully advanced into the left ventricle. The position of thecatheter tip was confirmed by recording the characteristic leftventricular pressure curves. Data were analyzed using an in vivo heartperformance analyzer (Micro-Med, Louisville, Ky.), as described in apreviously (Robinson 1996). Various left ventricular performanceparameters, such as maximal rate of the pressure increase (1 dP/dtmax)and decrease (2 dP/dtmax), were determined.

Measurement of Plasma Interleukin-6

Blood samples were drawn from the carotid catheter into a heparinizedsyringe at the end of each experiment. Plasma was separated bycentrifugation at 12,000 g for 15 minutes at 4° C. and stored at −70° C.until assayed. Plasma interleukin (IL)-6 was measured using anenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit specific for rat IL-6(Biosource, Camarillo, Calif.).

Statistical Analysis

Results are presented as ±mean standard error of the mean (SEM). Therewere eight animals in both sham groups, and seven or eight animals inthe vehicle- or estradiol-treated hemorrhaged group, respectively.One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey test, and Fisher exact testwere used, and the differences were considered significant at P<0.05.

Results

Effects of Estradiol on Hemodynamic Parameters

The results in FIG. 12A indicate that cardiac index was 34.1±0.4 and33.9±0.8 mL/min/100 g in sham-operated animals receiving vehicle orestradiol, respectively. Cardiac index decreased by 27.3% (P<0.05) inhemorrhaged and vehicle-treated animals at 24 hours after the completionof fluid resuscitation. Administration of estradiol after hemorrhage,however, restored the depressed cardiac index to sham levels. Similarly,SV decreased in hemorrhaged and vehicle-treated animals, whereasestradiol administration significantly improved SV as compared tovehicle-treated animals, and the values were similar to shams (FIG.12B). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) decreased significantly at 24 hoursafter the completion of hemorrhage and resuscitation in both groups ofhemorrhaged animals, in comparison to sham-operated animals (Table 2).However, animals treated with estradiol during resuscitation had asignificantly higher MAP compared to vehicle-treated hemorrhaged rats.In contrast, heart rate did not differ significantly between the variousgroups. Total peripheral resistance was decreased in hemorrhaged animalsin comparison to shams, irrespective of estradiol administration.Hematocrit decreased by more than half after trauma-hemorrhage andresuscitation in both hemorrhaged groups. Estradiol treatment insham-operated animals had no effect on various hemodynamic parameters(FIG. 12, Table 2).

TABLE 2 Effects of 17β Estradiol on Hemodynamic Parameters at 24 HoursAfter the Completion of Trauma-Hemorrhage and Resuscitation SHAM-VHSHAM-EST HEM-VH HEM-EST MAP 105.5 ± 1.1  102.8 ± 3.1  70.2 ± 1.9*  83.8± 2.1*† (mmHg) HR 347 ± 6  340 ± 4  327 ± 8   350 ± 7   (beats/min) TPR3.09 ± 0.04 3.03 ± 0.1 2.72 ± 0.09* 2.67 ± 0.12* (mmHg/mL/ min/100 g)Hct (%)  44 ± 0.3   43 ± 0.3  19 ± 0.4*  19 ± 0.5* Data presented asmean ± SEM and compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) andTukey test. *P < .05 vs. the respective SHAM. †P < .05 vs. HEM-VH. MAP,mean arterial pressure; HR, heart rate; TPR, total peripheralresistance; Hct, hematocrit.

Effects of Estradiol on Heart Performance

The maximal rate of left ventricle pressure increase (1 dP/dtmax) wassignificantly decreased after trauma-hemorrhage (FIG. 13A), butestradiol treatment increased 1 dP/dtmax after trauma-hemorrhage andresuscitation, showing no statistical difference from the sham-operatedanimals. The maximum rate of left ventricle pressure decrease (2dP/dtmax) in the hemorrhaged group was also significantly decreasedcompared to the sham group, and 2 dP/dtmax in the estradiol-treatedgroup increased significantly and was not different from sham values(FIG. 13B). Estradiol treatment in sham-operated animals affectedneither 1 dP/dtmax nor 2 dP/dtmax.

Effects of Estradiol on Hepatocellular Function

The values of the maximal velocity of ICG clearance (Vmax) were 1.29±0.1and 1.28±0.07 mg/kg/min in sham-operated animals receiving vehicle orestradiol, respectively (FIG. 14A). In hemorrhaged and vehicle-treatedrats, Vmax decreased by 73% (P<0.05) at 24 hours aftertrauma-hemorrhage. In contrast, hemorrhaged and estradiol-treatedanimals had Vmax values similar to sham animals. As indicated in FIG.14B, Km was 3.0±0.2 and 3.1±0.3 mg/kg in sham-operated animals receivingvehicle or estradiol, respectively, and it decreased by 62% (P<0.05)after trauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation in vehicle-treated rats.Estradiol administration significantly improved Km at 24 hours after thecompletion of resuscitation as compared to vehicle-treated animals, andthe values were similar to shams (FIG. 14B). Estradiol administration insham-operated animals had no effect on hepatocellular function.

Effects of Estradiol on Plasma Levels of IL-6

Plasma levels of IL-6 increased by 691% (P<0.05) at 24 hours afterresuscitation in hemorrhaged and vehicle-treated animals in comparisonto the respective sham group (FIG. 15). In estradiol-treated animals,however, plasma levels of IL-6 did not differ significantly from thelevels found in sham-operated rats at 24 after the completion ofhemorrhage and resuscitation.

Effects of Trauma-Hemorrhage on Mortality

The mortality rate in the vehicle-treated hemorrhaged group was 30% (3of 10 animals) and 11% (1 of 9) in the estradiol-treated group. However,due to the relatively small number of animals, this difference was notstatistically significant (P=0.582).

Discussion

It has been shown that organ functions such as cardiac output, heartperformance, adrenal responsiveness to exogenous corticotrophin, andhepatocellular clearance of ICG are significantly depressed in maleanimals after soft tissue trauma and severe hemorrhage (Robinson 1996;Wang 1990; Wang 1999).

The ovaries are the predominant source of estradiol production infemales; the testes and peripheral aromatization of testosterone andandrostenedione account for the low levels of estradiol in males.Significantly reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has beenreported in post-menopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy(Stampfer 1991). Moreover, studies have indicated that 17β-estradiol isinvolved in various physiologic processes such as vascular responsemodulation.

The results of this study indicate that left ventricular performance, asmeasured by 6 dP/dtmax, was significantly depressed aftertrauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation. 17β-estradiol-treated hemorrhagedanimals displayed a restored 1 dP/dtmax, and an improved 2 dP/dtmax at24 hours after the completion of fluid resuscitation. Moreover, theimproved cardiac contractility was reflected by the restored cardiacindex in treated rats. Because administration of estrogen aftertrauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation did not significantly alter heartrate, the improvement of the cardiac index under such conditions must bethe result of an improvement in SV. Furthermore, hepatocellular functionwas also significantly improved, as evidenced by restoration of the Vmaxand Km of ICG clearance after trauma-hemorrhage in estradiol-treatedanimals.

These improvements in organ functions also resulted in a better survivalrate in estradiol-treated animals. The 24-hour mortality in this modelof trauma and severe hemorrhagic shock was 30% in vehicle-treatedanimals, whereas it was 11% in the group receiving 17β-estradiol. Due tothe small number of animals, however, this was not statisticallysignificant. Moreover, it should be pointed out that we did not observeany adverse or beneficial effects of estradiol treatment insham-operated animals.

Expression of the estrogen receptor has been reported in a number ofcells and tissue in males (Diano 1999). Several studies have shown thatthe beneficial effects of estrogens on the cardiovascular system includeboth rapid non-genomic and long-term genomic mechanisms (Mendelsohn1999; Chen 1999; Karas 1998).

The rapid effects of 17β-estradiol include endothelial nitric oxide (NO)production, presumably by increasing the expression or activity of theconstitutive isoform of nitric oxide synthase (cNOS). The reducedrelease of endothelium-derived NO under various adverse circulationconditions is most likely due to the decreased activity of endothelialcNOS (Lefer 1994). In this regard, vascular endothelial cell function(i.e., the release of vascular endothelium-derived NO) is depressedearly after the onset of hemorrhagic shock. Furthermore, it has beendemonstrated that administration of L-arginine (the substrate for cNOS)restores the depressed cardiac output and organ blood flow aftertrauma-hemorrhage (Angele 1998). Thus, it is possible that thebeneficial effects of estrogen on cardiovascular and hepatocellularfunctions after trauma-hemorrhage are due to the up-regulation of cNOS.

A single subcutaneous injection of 17β-estradiol-benzoate (50 mg/kg bodyweight) was used, and improved organ functions after trauma-hemorrhagewere observed. Organ functions in the present study were measured at 24hours after trauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation. Plasma levels of IL-6were significantly elevated at 24 hours in vehicle-treated andhemorrhaged animals, whereas estradiol treatment during resuscitationdown-regulated IL-6 to values that did not differ significantly fromthose in sham-operated animals. It has been shown that there is asignificant correlation between IL-6 and Vmax of ICG clearance (Remmers1998). Therefore, down-regulation of this inflammatory cytokine may beresponsible for restoring the de-pressed hepatocellular function undersuch conditions. The studies by Deshpande et al. (1999) have shown thatestradiol attenuates cytokine production by inhibiting activation of thetranscription factor NF-kB in murine macrophages. Kupffer cells (KC)appear to be the major source of inflammatory cytokine release afteradverse circulatory conditions, (O'Neill 1994) because reduction of KCby administration of gadolinium chloride reduced IL-6 release aftertrauma-hemorrhage. Moreover, it has been shown that estradiol inhibitsKC IL-6 release, whereas dihydrotestosterone enhances its production(Angele 1999). Therefore, KC IL-6 can release, and due to the closeproximity of this cell population to hepatocytes, thereby improvehepatocellular function.

Example 4 17β-Estradiol Normalizes Immune Responses in OvariectomizedFemales after Trauma-Hemorrhage

It has been shown that immune responses in proestrus females aremaintained after trauma-hemorrhage but markedly depressed inovariectomized females under such conditions. Here, it is shown thatdecreased estrogen levels after ovariectomy are responsible for thisimmune depression. To test this, ovariectomized female CBA/J mice weresubjected to laparotomy (i.e., soft tissue trauma) and hemorrhagic shock(35±5 mmHg for 90 min, then resuscitated) or sham operation. The micereceived either 17β-estradiol (E2; 100 mg/25 g body wt) or vehiclesubcutaneously during resuscitation. Immune cells were isolated 24 hthereafter. Splenocyte proliferation and interferon-γ, interleukin(IL)-2, and IL-3 release were significantly depressed aftertrauma-hemorrhage in vehicle-treated mice, whereas these functions weremaintained in E2-treated mice. Peritoneal macrophage IL-1β and IL-6release and splenic macrophage IL-6 and IL-12 release were alsosignificantly depressed in vehicle-treated mice after trauma-hemorrhage,and release of these cytokines was restored by E2 treatment. In summary,it was found that the depressed splenic and peritoneal immune responsesafter trauma-hemorrhage can be normalized by a single dose of E2. Thusestrogen appears to be the causative factor in the maintenance ofimmunocompetence in females after trauma-hemorrhage, and itsadministration to ovariectomized or postmenopausal females is helpful inpreventing immune depression under such conditions.

Materials and Methods

Animals. Inbred female CBA/J mice (Jackson Laboratories, Bar Harbor,Me.), 8-9 wk old (24-26 g body wt), were used.

Experimental groups. Ovariectomy was performed in female CBA/J mice 2 wkbefore trauma-hemorrhage using two dorsolateral incisions. Inpreliminary studies it was found that, during this period, plasmaconcentrations of E2 and uterine wet weight as a sensitive parameter ofsystemic estrogen exposure significantly decreased in ovariectomizedfemales compared with females in the proestrus state. Two weeks afterovariectomy, the animals were divided into four groups. Groups 1 and 2consisted of sham-operated ovariectomized females, which were neitherhemorrhaged nor resuscitated. Animals in groups 3 and 4 consisted ofovariectomized females, which were subjected to the trauma-hemorrhageprocedure. Immediately before initiation of fluid resuscitation, animalsin groups 1 and 3 received a subcutaneous injection of vehicle (200 mlcorn oil), and animals in groups 2 and 4 were treated with E2 (100 mg/25g body wt dissolved in 200 ml corn oil). Each group consisted of 7-8animals.

Trauma-hemorrhage procedure. Mice in the trauma-hemorrhage groups werelightly anesthetized with methoxyflurane (Metofane; Pitman Moore,Mundelein, Ill.) and restrained in a supine position, and a 2.5-cmmidline laparotomy (i.e., soft tissue trauma induced) was performed,which was then closed aseptically in two layers using 6-0 Ethilonsutures (Ethicon, Somerville, N.J.). Both femoral arteries were thenaseptically cannulated with polyethylene-10 tubing (Clay-Adams,Parsippany, N.J.) using a minimal dissection technique, and the animalswere allowed to awaken. Blood pressure was constantly monitored byattaching one of the catheters to a blood pressure analyzer (Micro-Med,Louisville, Ky.). Lidocaine was applied to the incision sites to provideanalgesia during the study period. Upon awakening, the animals were bledthrough the other catheter to a mean arterial blood pressure of 35±5mmHg (mean arterial blood pressure prehemorrhage was 95±5 mmHg), whichwas maintained for 90 min. At the end of that procedure, the animalswere resuscitated with four times the shed blood volume in the form oflactated Ringer solution. The catheters were then removed, the vesselswere ligated, and the groin incisions were closed. Sham-operated animalsunderwent the same surgical procedure, which included ligation of bothfemoral arteries, but neither hemorrhage nor fluid resuscitation wascarried out. There was no mortality observed in this model oftrauma-hemorrhage.

Blood, tissue, and cell harvesting procedure. The animals were killed bymethoxyflurane overdose at 24 h after trauma-hemorrhage andresuscitation to obtain the spleen, pMΦ, uteri, and whole blood. Plasmacollection and storage. Whole blood was obtained by cardiac puncture andplaced in microcentrifuge tubes (Microtainer; Becton Dickinson,Rutherford, N.J.). The tubes were then centrifuged at 16,000 g for 15min at 4° C. Plasma was separated, placed in pyrogen-freemicrocentrifuge tubes, immediately frozen, and stored (280° C.) untilassayed.

Cell line maintenance. The interleukin (IL)-2-dependent CTLL-2 cellswere obtained from American Type Culture Collection and maintainedaccording to their directions. The IL-3-dependent FDC-P1 cells weremaintained as previously described (Ihle 1992). The IL-6-sensitivemurine B cell hybridoma (7TD1) was maintained as previously described(Ihle 1992).

Preparation of splenocyte culture. At 24 h after sham operation ortrauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation, the spleens were removedaseptically and placed in separate petri dishes containing 4° C.phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution. Splenocytes were isolated aspreviously described in detail (Zellweger 1995). Briefly, the organswere gently ground between frosted microscope slides to produce a singlecell suspension. This suspension was centrifuged at 300 g for 15 min.After resuspension, the erythrocytes were lysed hypotonically, and theremaining cells were washed with PBS by centrifugation (300 g, 15 min).Viability was tested using trypan blue exclusion and found to be ˜95%regardless of the group assessed. The splenocytes were then resuspendedin RPMI 1640 (GIBCO-BRL, Grand Island, N.Y.) containing 10%heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS; GIBCO-BRL) to yield a finalconcentration of 1×10⁷ cells/ml. The ability of the splenocyte culturesto produce cytokines in response to a mitogenic challenge was assessedby incubation for 48 h (at 37° C., 5% CO₂, and 90% humidity) in thepresence of 2.5 mg/ml concanavalin A (Con A; Pharmacia/LKB Biotech,Piscataway, N.J.). After incubation, the cell suspension was centrifugedat

300 g for 15 min, and the supernatants were harvested and stored at 280°C. until assayed for interferon-g (IFN-γ), IL-2, IL-3, and IL-10.

Splenocyte proliferation. A second portion of the splenocyte suspensionwas placed into a 96-well microtiter plate (Corning Glass, Corning,N.Y.) in aliquots of 100 ml. The cells' ability to proliferate inresponse to mitogenic stimulation with 0 (negative control) or 2.5 mg/mlCon A was measured by [³H]thymidine incorporation technique aspreviously de scribed (Stephan 1987). Briefly, after incubation for 48 hat 37° C., 5% CO₂, and 90% humidity, 1 mCi of the radionucleotide (spact 6.7 Ci/mmol; NEN, Wilmington, Del.) was added to each well, and thecultures were incubated for another 16 h. The cells were then harvestedonto glass fiber filter mats, and the beta decay was detected by liquidscintillation counting, as previously described (Meldrum 1991).

Preparation of sMΦ and pMΦ culture. Spleens were harvested aseptically,and sMΦ cultures were established as previously described in detail(Zellweger 1996). Resident pMΦ were harvested by peritoneal lavage at 24h after sham operation or trauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation, andmonolayers were established as previously described (Ayala 1990). Themonolayers of sMΦ and pMΦ (1×10⁶ cells/ml) were stimulated with 10 mg oflipopolysaccharide W/ml Click's medium containing 10% heat-inactivatedFBS for 48 h at 37° C., 5% CO₂, and 90% humidity to assess the cells'ability to release cytokines (Lipopolysaccharide W was from Escherichiacoli 055:B5, Difco Laboratories, Detroit, Mich.) At the end of theincubation period, the culture supernatants were removed, centrifuged at300 g for 15 min, divided into aliquots, and stored.

Assessment of cytokine release. The capacity of the mixed splenocyteculture to produce IL-2 or IL-3 was assessed by determining the amountof IL-2 or IL-3 in the collected culture supernatant. Serial dilutionsof the supernatants and standards were added to CTLL-2 cells (1×10⁵cells/ml) or to FDC-P1 cells (2.5×10⁵ cells/ml) and incubated for 24 h(FDC-P1) or 48 h (CTLL-2) at 37° C., 5% CO₂, and 90% humidity. At theend of this period, 1 mCi of [³H]thymidine (sp act 6.7 Ci/mmol, NEN) wasadded to each well, and the cultures were incubated for an additional 16h. The cells were then harvested onto glass-fiber mats, and the betadecay was detected by liquid scintillation radiography (Meldrum 1991).

IL-10 concentrations in macrophage and splenocyte supernatants and IFN-γlevels in the splenocyte supernatants were determined usingsandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique (ELISA) accordingto the manufacturer's recommendations (BD OptEIA ELISA set; BDPharmingen, San Diego, Calif.).

IL-6 activity was determined by assessing the 72-h proliferation of theIL-6-dependent murine B cell hybridoma 7TD1 stimulated by serialdilutions of sMΦ and pMΦ supernatants (Ayala 1992). For the last 3 h ofincubation, 20 ml of a3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide solution (5mg/ml in RPMI 1640; Sigma Chemical, St. Louis, Mo.) was added to eachwell. The amount of dark blue formazan crystal formation was thenmeasured spectrophotometrically. The units of IL-6 activity weredetermined by comparison of curves produced from dilutions of arecombinant mouse IL-6 standard (200 U/ml; Genzyme, Cambridge, Mass.)according to the methods of Mizel (Mizel 1981). IL-1β levels in pMisupernatants were determined by ELISA according to the manufacturer'srecommendations (Genzyme). Determination of plasma E2 concentration. E2concentration was determined using a commercially availableradio-immunoassay (ICN Biomedicals, Costa Mesa, Calif.) as described bythe manufacturer.

Statistical analysis. The results are presented as means±SE. One-wayANOVA followed by the Student-Newman-Keuls test as a post hoc test formultiple comparisons was used to determine the significance of thedifferences between experimental means. A P value <0.05 was consideredsignificant.

Results

Biological effect of E2 treatment. At 24 h after vehicle administration,plasma concentrations of E2 were 16.6±5.3 pg/ml in ovariectomizedfemales that were sham-operated and 15.7±8.3 pg/ml in females thatunderwent trauma-hemorrhage. Administration of E2 in ovariectomizedfemales resulted in significantly increased plasma concentrations of E2in sham-operated as well as hemorrhaged animals (p<0.05; FIG. 16A)compared with corresponding vehicle-treated ovariectomized females. Inaddition, uterine wet weight, a sensitive parameter of systemic estrogenexposure, significantly increased in E2-treated ovariectomized femalesthat were sham operated or hemorrhaged (p<0.05 vs. correspondingvehicle-treated ovariectomized females; FIG. 16B).

Splenocyte proliferation. At 24 h after trauma-hemorrhage, splenocyteproliferative capacity was significantly depressed in ovariectomizedfemales that received vehicle at the beginning of resuscitation comparedwith sham-operated females receiving vehicle (p<0.05; FIG. 17). Inovariectomized females treated with E2 after trauma-hemorrhage, however,no depression of splenocyte proliferative capacity was observed.

Splenocyte cytokine production. After trauma-hemorrhage, splenocyteIFN-γ release was significantly depressed in vehicle-treatedovariectomized females compared with sham-operated animals (p<0.05; FIG.3A). In contrast, no depression of IFN-γ production was observed insplenocytes harvested from ovariectomized females treated with E2 aftertrauma-hemorrhage. Trauma-hemorrhage resulted in a significantlydepressed production of IL-2 by splenocytes harvested fromvehicle-treated ovariectomized females (p<0.05; FIG. 3B). Treatment withE2 restored IL-2 productive capacity. IL-3 production was significantlysuppressed after trauma-hemorrhage in splenocytes harvested fromvehicle-treated ovariectomized females (p<0.05; FIG. 18C); however,treatment of ovariectomized females with E2 at the beginning ofresuscitation significantly improved splenocyte IL-3 release capacityafter trauma-hemorrhage toward sham levels (p<0.05; FIG. 18C). Incontrast to the production of IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-3, the release ofIL-10 was maintained after trauma-hemorrhage in ovariectomized femalesreceiving vehicle (FIG. 16D). However, treatment with E2 led tosignificantly reduced IL-10 production after trauma-hemorrhage comparedwith E2-treated sham-operated animals (p<0.05, FIG. 16D).

Macrophage cytokine production. sMΦ IL-6 release was significantlydepressed in vehicle-treated ovariectomized females aftertrauma-hemorrhage (p<0.05; FIG. 19A). Administration of E2 inovariectomized females during resuscitation did not influence IL-6release under these conditions. IL-10 production by sMΦ was not affectedby trauma-hemorrhage in vehicle-treated mice; however, E2 treatment ofsuch animals significantly reduced IL-10 release (p<0.05; FIG. 19B). sMΦIL-12 production was significantly depressed after trauma-hemorrhage invehicle-treated ovariectomized females compared with their correspondingsham-operated animals p<0.05; FIG. 19C). Treatment with E2 prevented thedepression in sMΦ IL-12 production after trauma-hemorrhage. At 24 hafter trauma-hemorrhage, pMΦ IL-10 release was significantly depressedin ovariectomized females receiving vehicle compared withvehicle-treated sham-operated animals (p<0.05; FIG. 20A). Treatment withE2 led to a partial restoration of pMΦ IL-1β release. Similar to sMΦ,pMΦ IL-6 production was significantly depressed in ovariectomizedfemales that underwent trauma-hemorrhage and received vehicle (p<0.05,FIG. 5B). In contrast to sMΦ, IL-6 production by pMΦ was maintained atsham levels in mice that were treated with E2 at the beginning ofresuscitation. pMΦ IL-10 production was not affected by eithertrauma-hemorrhage or E2 treatment (FIG. 20C).

Discussion

The aim of the present study was to determine whether administration ofE2 in ovariectomized females has any effect on splenocyte, sMΦ, or pMΦimmune functions after trauma-hemorrhage. The results presented hereindicate that at 24 h after sham operation or trauma-hemorrhage andadministration of 100 mg E2/25 g body wt, plasma concentrations of E2were significantly increased compared with vehicle-treatedovariectomized females. Furthermore, uterine wet weight, a sensitiveparameter of systemic estrogen exposure, significantly increased inovariectomized females that received E2 compared with vehicle-treatedovariectomized females. In all experiments discussed here,ovariectomized females were used at 2 wk after ovariectomy. This timepoint was selected because it was shown that during this period, plasmaconcentrations of E2 and uterine wet weight significantly decreased inovariectomized females compared with females in the proestrus state ofthe estrus cycle. Thus the findings that E2 administration significantlyincreased plasma levels of this hormone as well as uterine wet weight inovariectomized females indicate the biological effectiveness of thehormone treatment used. Here, ovariectomized females were used at 2 wkafter ovariectomy. This time point was selected because preliminarystudies have shown that during this period, plasma concentrations of E2and uterine wet weight significantly decreased in ovariectomized femalescompared with females in the proestrus state of the estrus cycle. Thusthe findings that E2 administration significantly increased plasmalevels of this hormone as well as uterine wet weight in ovariectomizedfemales indicate the biological effectiveness of the hormone treatmentused.

Administration of E2 in ovariectomized females after trauma-hemorrhageled to profound changes in immune functions compared with ovariectomizedfemales receiving vehicle. Comparable with the findings from previousstudies (Knöferl 1999), the results indicate that in ovariectomizedfemales, sMΦ and pMΦ proinflammatory cytokine production (IL-1β, IL-6,and IL-12) was significantly depressed after trauma-hemorrhage. However,administration of a single dose of E2 in ovariectomized females at thebeginning of fluid resuscitation resulted in partial normalization ofsMΦ and pMΦ proinflammatory cytokine release capacity under thoseconditions. In this regard, it has previously been shown that normalfemales in the proestrus state of the estrus cycle also maintain sMΦ andpMΦ function after trauma-hemorrhage (Knöferl 1999). Thus the findingsthat ovariectomy leads to a depression of sMΦ and pMΦ proinflammatorycytokine release after trauma-hemorrhage indicate that physiologicallevels of female sex steroids and, in particular, E2 are involved inmaintaining macrophage proinflammatory cytokine release in the splenicand peritoneal compartment. Furthermore, the present finding thatadministration of E2 in ovariectomized females partially restored sMΦand pMΦ proinflammatory cytokine release shows that this female sexsteroid plays a critical role in regulating macrophage functions. Inthis regard, it should be noted that the pattern of immune depressionobserved in ovariectomized females after trauma-hemorrhage is comparableto the depression of immune functions seen in male mice aftertrauma-hemorrhage (Zellweger 1995). Thus the observation that highconcentrations of testosterone as well as low levels of estradiol areassociated with immunosuppression after trauma-hemorrhage could lead tothe hypothesis that the ratio of male to female sex hormones isessential to the course of the immune response to a traumatic insult.

Comparable to the depression observed in sMΦ and pMΦ function,trauma-hemorrhage resulted in a significantly depressed splenocyteproliferative capacity and splenocyte cytokine production inovariectomized females receiving vehicle. Administration of E2 at theend of trauma-hemorrhage, however, restored splenocyte proliferation tovalues comparable with sham-operated animals. Furthermore, E2 treatmentnormalized the depressed production of IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-3 inovariectomized females that underwent trauma-hemorrhage. IL-3 is agrowth factor that influences growth of specific T lymphocyte subsets aswell as proliferation of early T cell precursors (Mossalayi 1990;Schneider 1988). With regard to this finding, the suppression insplenocyte proliferation correlated with suppressed IL-3 productionafter trauma-hemorrhage, and the restoration of IL-3 production by E2paralleled restored splenocyte proliferative responses. Previous studieshave shown that suppressed IL-3 production correlates with lower immunefunctional capacity in aged mice (Hobbs 1993; Kahlke 2000). Thesefindings suggest that E2 is involved in the regulation of splenocyteimmune responses and that the decreased levels of E2 in ovariectomizedfemales contribute to the depression of splenocyte immune functionsafter trauma-hemorrhage. Support for the idea that E2 has stimulatoryeffects on post hemorrhage splenocyte function comes from studies thathave shown that administration of E2 in males restored splenocyte immuneresponses after trauma-hemorrhage (Knöferl 2000). Previous findings donot allow for the distinction as to whether the stimulatory effects ofE2 on splenocyte immune functions are due to the direct actions of thishormone on splenocytes or are also being mediated via indirectmechanisms, such as macrophage/splenocyte interactions. In this regard,these results indicate that administration of E2 restored sMΦ IL-12production in ovariectomized females that underwent trauma-hemorrhage.Because macrophages are present in splenocyte cultures, it is possiblethat macrophage-derived IL-12, a well-characterized stimulant ofsplenocyte immune functions (Trinchieri 1993), contributes to thebeneficial effects of E2 treatment. Whether indirect mechanisms otherthan sMΦ IL-12 production are involved in restoring splenocyte immunefunctions in E2-treated ovariectomized females remains to be determined.An explanation for why E2 normalized many immune parameters inovariectomized mice after trauma-hemorrhage is suppressed apoptosis. E2has been shown to suppress apoptosis (Evans 1997; Gohel 1999) due toupregulation of Bcl-2, an antiapoptotic protein (Bynoe 2000).Additionally, decreased estrogen levels in ovariectomized females canalso result in increased apoptosis.

In contrast to the depression of sMΦ proinflammatory cytokine releaseand splenocyte cytokine production observed in vehicle-treatedovariectomized females after trauma-hemorrhage, anti-inflammatorycytokine, i.e., IL-10, production by sMΦ and splenocytes was maintainedunder those conditions. The maintained production of IL-10 by sMΦ andsplenocytes after trauma-hemorrhage was associated with a significantlydepressed T lymphocyte proliferative capacity. It can be speculated thatnormal IL-10 production may play a role in the regulation of theinflammatory response by limiting T lymphocyte proliferation and theproinflammatory response. In ovariectomized females treated with E2,however, IL-10 production decreased after trauma-hemorrhage comparedwith sham-operated animals, and this was associated with maintainedproinflammatory cytokine production. The anti-inflammatory cytokineIL-10 has previously been described as an important immunosuppressant ofcell-mediated immunity (Howard 1992) and has been implicated in thesuppression of splenocyte immune functions after hemorrhage (Ayala1994). Therefore, E2 decreases anti-inflammatory cytokine production bysMΦ and splenocytes after trauma-hemorrhage and that the maintainedproduction of IL-10 observed in ovariectomized females receiving vehiclecan contribute to the depression of immune functions under thoseconditions.

Example 5 17β-Estradiol (E2) Administration after Major Blood LossImproves Liver, ATP, 3-Hour Survival and Also Long Term SurvivalFollowing Prolonged Hypotension (3 Hour) and Fluid Resuscitation

Although E2 administration after trauma-hemorrhage (T-H) and fluidresuscitation produces salutary effects on organ functions, it was notknown if E2 has any beneficial effects after major blood loss in theabsence of fluid resuscitation. Male SD rats ˜250 g) underwent T-H(tissue trauma, BP 40 mmHg in 10 min and maintained at that BP byfurther blood withdrawal until maximum bleed out (MBO, 60% of totalblood volume) occurred (45:t5 min)). E2 i.v. (1 mg/Kg, 0.4 ml/Kg volume,i.e., 120 μL/300 g body weight) or vehicle (cyclodextrin, CD) was theninfused. No additional fluid was given for 3 hours. If rats survived,they received Ringer's lactate, 4× the MBO volume. A custom-fabricated31p coil was placed on the surface of the rat's liver after laparotomyin another group, and spectra acquired using 4.7T NMR spectroscopy via a31p coil in real time before and during hemorrhagic shock. Shockincreased phosphomonoester and Pi with a concomitant decrease in β-ATPin both groups. The β-ATP:Pi ratio was at a life-sustaining level in theE2 group as compared to the CD group. Since E2 infusion after majorblood loss maintains higher liver ATP levels during severe hypotension,markedly improves 3-hour survival rates without fluid resuscitation andincreases long-term survival after resuscitation, E2 is a novel hormonefor preserving essential cellular energy status under conditions inwhich fluid resuscitation is not possible for a period of 3 hoursfollowing severe blood loss.

Example 6 Effect of 17β-Estradiol on Signal Transduction Pathways andSecondary Damage in Experimental Spinal Cord Trauma

Since studies have shown that 17β-estradiol produces anti-inflammatoryeffects following various adverse circulatory conditions, it wasexamined whether administration of 17β-estradiol prior to spinal cordinjury (SCI) has any salutary effects in reducing SCI.

SCI was induced by the application of vascular clips (force of 24 g) tothe dura via a four-level T5-T8 laminectomy. In order to gain a betterinsight into the mechanism of action of the anti-inflammatory effects of17β-estradiol, the following endpoints of the inflammatory process wereevaluated: (1) spinal cord inflammation and tissue injury (histologicalscore); (2) neutrophil infiltration (myeloperoxidase activity); (3)expression of iNOS, nitrotyrosine and COX-2; (4) apoptosis (TUNELstaining and Bax and Bcl-2 expression); (5) tissue TNFα, IL-6, IL-1β andMCP-1 levels. In another set of experiments, the pre or post treatmentwith 17β-estradiol significantly ameliorates the recovery of limbfunction (evaluated by motor recovery score).

In order to elucidate whether the protective effects of 17β-estradiolwere mediated via the estrogen receptors, the effect of an estrogenreceptor antagonist, ICI 182,780, on the protective effects of17β-estradiol was investigated ICI 182,780 (500 μg/kg administeredsubcutaneously 1 hour prior to treatment with 17β-estradiol)significantly antagonized the effect of the 17β-estradiol and abolishedthe protective effect against SCI. Taken together, the results clearlydemonstrate that administration of 17β-estradiol prior to SCI reducesthe development of inflammation and tissue injury associated with spinalcord trauma.

a) Introduction

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a highly debilitating pathology (Maegele2005). Although innovative medical care has improved patient outcome,advances in pharmacotherapy for the purpose of limiting neuronal injuryand promoting regeneration have been limited. The complexpathophysiology of SCI can explain the difficulty in finding a suitabletherapy. The primary traumatic mechanical injury to the spinal cordcauses the death of a number of neurons that cannot be recovered andregenerated. Studies indicate that neurons continue to die for hoursfollowing traumatic SCI (Balentine 1985). The events that characterizethis successive phase to mechanical injury are called “secondarydamage.” The secondary damage is determined by a large number ofcellular, molecular, and biochemical cascades. The presence of a localinflammatory response has been demonstrated, which amplifies thesecondary damage (Blight 1992). The cardinal features of inflammation,namely infiltration of inflammatory cells (polymorphonuclear neutrophilsPMN, macrophage, and lymphocytes), release of inflammatory mediators,and activation of endothelial cells leading to increased vascularpermeability, edema formation, and tissue destruction have beenextensively characterized in animal models of SCI (Popovich 1996).Because SCI involves a complex pathophysiology, an effective therapyemploys either multiple agents or a multiactive agent. It has been shownthat treatment with the steroid hormone 17β-estradiol (estrogen) canattenuate several of the damaging pathways initiated after SCI (Szabo1998). 17β-estradiol, the most abundant form of estrogen in the body,has been shown to be neuroprotective and produces therapeutic effects invarious models of central nervous system (CNS) disease whereinflammation and immune-mediated processes predominate (Sribnick 2003;Matejuk 2004; Palaszynski 2004; Sribnick 2005). 17β-estradiol exerts itsneuroprotective effects, in part, by acting as an anti-inflammatoryagent and also an anti-oxidant (Vegeto 2004).

In order to characterize the effect of 17β-estradiol in a model of SCI,the following endpoints of the inflammatory response were determined:(1) histological damage; (2) motor recovery; (3) neutrophilinfiltration; (4) pro-inflammatory cytokines; (5) nitrotyrosine, iNOSand COX-2 expression; (6) apoptosis (TUNEL staining); (7) Bax and Bcl-2expression. In addition, the effects of the systemic administration ofestrogen receptor antagonist (ICI 182,780) on the above parameters ofinflammation were investigated.

b) Material and Methods

(a) Animals

Adult male CD1 mice (25-30 g, Harlan Nossan, Milan, Italy) were housedin a controlled environment and provided with standard rodent chow andwater. Animal care was in compliance with Italian regulations onprotection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purpose(D.M. 116192), as well as with the EEC regulations (O.J. of E.C.L 358/1Dec. 18, 1986).

(b) SCI

Mice were anaesthetized using chloral hydrate (400 mg/kg body weight)(Genovese 2006). A longitudinal incision was made on the midline of theback, exposing the paravertebral muscles. These muscles were dissectedaway exposing T5-T8 vertebrae. The spinal cord was exposed via afour-level T6-T7 laminectomy and SCI was produced by extraduralcompression using an aneurysm clip with a closing force of 24 g.Following surgery, 1 ml of saline was administered subcutaneously inorder to replace the blood volume lost during surgery. During thesurgery and recovery from anesthesia, the mice were placed on a warmheating pad and covered with a warm towel. The mice were singly housedin a temperature-controlled room at 27° C. and survival was measuredover a period of 10 days. Food and water were provided to the mice adlibitum. During this time period, the animals' bladders were manuallyvoided twice a day until the mice were able to regain normal bladderfunction. In all injured groups, the spinal cord was compressed for 1min. Sham-injured animals were only subjected to laminectomy.

(c) Experimental groups

Mice were randomly allocated into the following groups: (i) saline+SCIgroup, mice received saline subcutaneously and were subjected to SCI(n=40); (ii) 17β-estradiol group, same as the saline+SCI group but17β-estradiol was administered subcutaneously at a dose of 300 μg/kg 1 hbefore SCI and 3 h and 6 h after SCI (n=40); (iii) ICI group, same asthe 17β-estradiol group but they received ICI 182,780 at the dose of 500μg/kg subcutaneously 1 hour before the administration of 17β-estradiol(iv) (n=40); (v) saline+sham group, mice were subjected to the surgicalprocedures as above group except that the aneurysm clip was not applied(n=40); (vi) sham+17β-estradiol group, identical to sham+saline groupbut they received an administration of 17β-estradiol; (vii) sham+ICIgroup, identical to sham+17β-estradiol group except that they receivedan administration of ICI 182,780 (n=40). In the experiments regardingthe motor score, the animals from all the experimental groups wereobserved and treated daily for 9 days after SCI. At different timepoints (see FIG. 30), the mice (n=10 from each group for each of the 3time points) were sacrificed in order to evaluate the various parametersas described below.

In a separate set of experiments, in order to elucidate the potentialclinical significance of the protective effects of 17β-estradiol, it wasalso investigated whether the post-treatment with 17β-estradiol,administered subcutaneously at a dose of 300 μg/kg at 3 and 6 h afterSCI attenuates the motor dysfunction assessed by motor score. The doseand the time of treatment of ICI 182,780 (500 μg/kg) was based on invivo studies (Cuzzocrea 2000), as well as the dose of 17β-estradiol(Yune 2004).

(d) Total Protein Extraction and Western Blot Analysis for Bax and Bcl-2

Spinal cord tissue, obtained from animals killed 24 h after injury orsham-injured, was disrupted by homogenization with an Ultra-turrax T8homogenizer on ice in lysis buffer (20 mM HEPES pH 7.9, 1.5 mM MgCl₂,400 mM NaCl, 1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid [EDTA], 1 mMethyleneglycoltetraacetic acid [EGTA], 1 mM dithiothreitol [DTT], 0.5 mMphenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride [PMSF], 1.5 μg/ml trypsin inhibitor, 3μg/ml pepstatin, 2 μg/ml leupeptin, 40 μM benzidamin, 1% NP-40, 20%glycerol). After 1 hour, tissue lysates were obtained by centrifugationat 100,000×g for 15 min at 4° C. Protein concentrations were estimatedby the Bio-Rad protein assay (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Segrate, Milan,Italy) using BSA as standard.

For Western blot analysis, 70 μg protein of lysates were mixed with gelloading buffer (50 mM Tris, 10% (w/v), sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS),10% (w/v) glycerol, 10% (v/v) 2-mercaptoethanol, 2 mg/ml bromophenol),boiled for 5 min, and subjected to SDSPAGE (12% polyacrylamide). Theblot was performed by transferring proteins from a slab gel tonitrocellulose membrane at 240 mA for 40 min at room temperature. Thefilter was then blocked with 1×PBS, 5% nonfat dried milk for 40 min atroom temperature and probed with specific monoclonal antibodies againstBax (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc., Santa Cruz, Calif.; 1:1,000), orBcl-2 (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc., Santa Cruz, Calif.; 1:1,000) in1×PBS, 5% nonfat dried milk, 0.1% Tween 20 at 4° C., overnight. TheAffiniPure Goat Anti-Rabbit IgG coupled to peroxidase secondary antibody(1:2000; Jackson Immuno Research, Laboratories, Inc., CA, USA) wasincubated for 1 hour at room temperature. Subsequently, the blot wasextensively washed with PBS, developed using SuperSignal West Picochemiluminescence Substrate (PIERCE, Milan, Italy), according to themanufacturer's instructions, and exposed to Kodak X-Omat film (EastmanKodak Co., Rochester, N.Y.). α-Tubulin protein (Sigma; 1:1000) Westernblot was performed to ensure equal sample loading. The protein bands ofBax (23˜kDa), or Bcl-2 (26˜kDa) on x-ray film were scanned anddensitometrically analyzed with a model GS-700 imaging densitometer(Bio-Rad Laboratories).

To ascertain that blots were loaded with equal amounts of proteinlysates, they were also incubated in the presence of the antibodyagainst α-tubulin protein (1:10,000 Sigma-Aldrich Corp.). Thedensitometric data for Western are normalized for loading controlvalues.

(e) Light microscopy

Spinal cord biopsies were taken at 24 hours following trauma. Tissuesegments containing the lesion (1 cm on each side of the lesion) wereparaffin embedded and cut into 5-μm-thick sections. Tissue sections weredeparaffinized with xylene, stained with Haematoxylin/Eosin (H&E) andLuxol Fast Blue staining (used to assess demyelination) and studiedusing light microscopy (Dialux 22 Leitz).

The segments of each spinal cord were evaluated by an experiencedhistopathologist (RO). Damaged neurons were counted and thehistopathologic changes of the gray matter were scored on a 6-pointscale (Sirin 2000): 0, no lesion observed, 1, gray matter contained 1 to5 eosinophilic neurons; 2, gray matter contained 5 to 10 eosinophilicneurons; 3, gray matter contained more than 10 eosinophilic neurons; 4,small infarction (less than one third of the gray matter area); 5,moderate infarction; (one third to one half of the gray matter area); 6,large infarction (more than half of the gray matter area). The scoresfrom all the sections from each spinal cord were averaged to give afinal score for an individual mice. All the histological studies wereperformed in a blinded fashion.

(f) Grading of motor disturbance

The motor function of mice subjected to compression trauma was assessedonce a day for 10 days after injury. Recovery from motor disturbance wasgraded using the modified murine Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB)(Basso 1995) hind limb locomotor rating scale (Joshi 2002a; Joshi2002b). The following criteria were considered: 0=No hind limb movement;1=Slight (<50% range of motion) movement of 1-2 joints; 2=Extensive(>50% range of motion) movement of 1 joint and slight movement of oneother joint; 3=Extensive movement of 2 joints; 4=Slight movement in all3 joints; 5=Slight movement of 2 joints and extensive movement of 1joint; 6=Extensive movement of 2 joints and slight movement of 1 joint;7=Extensive movement of all 3 joints; 8=Sweeping without weight supportor plantar placement and no weight support; 9=Plantar placement withweight support in stance only or dorsal stepping with weight support;10=Occasional (0-50% of the time) weight-supported plantar steps and nocoordination (Front/hind limb coordination); 11=Frequent (50-94% of thetime) to consistent (95-100% of the time) weight-supported plantar stepsand no coordination; 12=Frequent to consistent weight-supported plantarsteps and occasional coordination; 13=Frequent to consistentweight-supported plantar steps and frequent coordination; 14=Consistentweight-supported plantar steps, consistent coordination and predominantpaw position is rotated during locomotion (lift off and contact) orfrequent plantar stepping, consistent coordination and occasional dorsalstepping; 15=Consistent plantar stepping and coordination, no/occasionaltoe clearance, paw position is parallel at initial contact;16=Consistent plantar stepping and coordination (Front/hind limbcoordination) and frequent toe clearance and predominant paw position isparallel at initial contact and rotated at lift off; 17=Consistentplantar stepping and coordination and frequent toe clearance andpredominant paw position is parallel at initial contact and lift off;18=Consistent plantar stepping and coordination and consistent toeclearance and predominant paw position is parallel at initial contactand rotated at lift off; 19=Consistent plantar stepping and coordinationand consistent toe clearance and predominant paw position is parallel atinitial contact and lift off; 20=Consistent plantar stepping,coordinated gait, consistent toe clearance, predominant paw position isparallel at initial contact and lift off and trunk instability;21=Consistent plantar stepping, coordinated gait, consistent toeclearance, predominant paw position is parallel at initial contact andlift off and trunk stability.

(g) Immunohistochemical Localization of Nitrotyrosine, iNOS, MPO, COX-2,Bax and Bcl-2.

At 24 h after SCI, the tissues were fixed in 10% (w/v) PBS-bufferedformaldehyde and 8-μm sections were prepared from paraffin embeddedtissues. After deparaffinization, endogenous peroxidase was quenchedwith 0.3% (v/v) hydrogen peroxide in 60% (v/v) methanol for 30 min. Thesections were permeabilized with 0.1% (w/v) Triton X-100 in PBS for 20min. Non-specific adsorption was minimized by incubating the section in2% (v/v) normal goat serum in PBS for 20 min. Endogenous biotin oravidin binding sites were blocked by sequential incubation for 15 minwith biotin and avidin (DBA), respectively. Sections were incubatedovernight with antinitrotyrosine rabbit polyclonal antibody (Upstate;1:500 in PBS, v/v), with anti-iNOS polyclonal antibody rat (1:500 inPBS, v/v), anti-COX-2 monoclonal antibody (1:500 in PBS, v/v), anti-Baxrabbit polyclonal antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc., Santa Cruz,Calif.; 1:500 in PBS, v/v), or with anti-Bcl-2 polyclonal antibody rat(Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc., Santa Cruz, Calif.; 1:500 in PBS, v/v),or with anti-MPO polyclonal antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.,Santa Cruz, Calif.; 1:500 in PBS, v/v). Sections were washed with PBS,and incubated with secondary antibody. Specific labeling was detectedwith a biotin-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG and avidin-biotinperoxidase complex (DBA) and counterstained with nuclear fast red. Toverify the binding specificity for nitrotyrosine, iNOS, COX-2, Bax, andBcl-2, some sections were also incubated with only the primary antibody(no secondary) or with only the secondary antibody (no primary). Inthese situations no positive staining was found in the sectionsindicating that the immunoreaction was positive in all the experimentscarried out. Immunocytochemistry photographs (n=5) were assessed bydensitometry as previously described (Shea 1994) by using ImagingDensitometer (AxioVision, Zeiss, Milan, Italy) and a computer program.

(h) Terminal Deoxynucleotidyltransferase-Mediated UTP End Labeling(TUNEL) Assay

TUNEL assay was conducted by using a TUNEL detection kit according tothe manufacturer's instructions (Apotag, HRP kit DBA, Milano, Italy).Briefly, sections were incubated with 15 μg/ml proteinase K for 15minutes at room temperature and then washed with PBS. Endogenousperoxidase was inactivated by 3% hydrogen peroxide for 5 minutes at roomtemperature and then washed with PBS. Sections were immersed in terminaldeoxynucleotidyltransferase (TdT) buffer containing deoxynucleotidyltransferase and biotinylated dUTP in TdT buffer, incubated in a humidatmosphere at 37° C. for 90 minutes, and then washed with PBS. Thesections were incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes withanti-horseradish peroxidase-conjugated antibody, and the signals werevisualized with diaminobenzidine. The number of TUNEL positivecells/high-power field was counted in 5 to 10 fields for each codedslide as previously described (Yamanishi 2002).

(i) Myeloperoxidase activity

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, an indicator of PMN accumulation, wasdetermined as previously described (Mullane 1985) 24 h after SCI. At thespecified time following SCI, spinal cord tissues were obtained andweighed and each piece homogenized in a solution containing 0.5% (w/v)hexadecyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide dissolved in 10 mM potassiumphosphate buffer (pH 7) and centrifuged for 30 minutes at 20,000×g at 4°C. An aliquot of the supernatant was then allowed to react with asolution of 1.6 mM tetramethylbenzidine and 0.1 mM hydrogen peroxide.The rate of change in absorbance was measured spectrophotometrically at650 nm. MPO activity was defined as the quantity of enzyme degrading 1μmol of peroxide per minute at 37° C. and was expressed in milliunits/gof wet tissue.

(j) Quantitative Real Time PCR

A segment of spinal cord (320±124 mg) encompassing lesion epicentre washomogenized in a solution of Tri-reagent (Sigma®, Germany) according tothe manufacturer's instructions. Total cellular RNA was isolated fromthe aqueous phase then the levels of IL-α, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6 geneproducts were determined by Real Time PCR. The amount of each PCRproduct of gene target was normalized to Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphatedehydrogenase (GAPDH). The RNA extracted from spinal cord of individualmice was reverse trascripted into first strand cDNA with Random Hexamersand purified Avian Myeloblastosis Virus Reverse Transcriptase (Takara,Japan) in 20 ml of reaction after a DNAse treatment and stored at −80°C. until use. Primers pair for each cytokine was designed using thesoftware Oligo (Molecular Biology Insights, Cascade, Colo., USA). ThePCR reactions were performed using the following cycle conditions: adenaturation step for 15 minutes at 95° C. and 40 cycles of 30 secondsdenaturation at 94° C., 30 seconds annealing (TNF-à 61° C., IL-6 54° C.,IL-1β 61° C., MCP-1 54° C., GADPH 56° C.), 15 sec at 72° C. and 7minutes of final extension at 72° C. The PCR products were visualized byelectrophoresis on agarose gel 2% stained by ethidium bromide. Thepurified PCR products were cloned into a plasmid vector, transformedinto the E. coli TOP 10 (Invitrogen) and purified with Turbo Kit(QBIOgene, CA, USA). The recombinant plasmid was linearized upstream thetarget sequence using the restriction endonuclease PmeI (Fermentas,Canada). Tenfold dilutions of recombinant plasmid from 10⁹ copies downto 10¹ copies were used as standards. The real time PCR assay wasdeveloped and evaluated on the Rotor-Gene 3000 system (Corbett Research,Australia). Reaction was carried out in a final volume of 25 μlcontaining 1× of SYBR PREMIX Ex Taq Takara, 200 nM each forward andreverse primers, 1× of Rox References Dye and 2 μl of cDNA. Cyclingparameters were the following: 10 minutes at 95° C. for polymeraseactivation followed by 40 cycles of 15 seconds at 95° C., 15 secondsannealing (TNF-α 61° C., IL-10 54° C., IL-6 54° C., IL-1β 61° C., MCP-154° C., GADPH 56° C.) 20 sec at 72° C. The signal was acquired on theFAM channel (multichannel machine) (source, 470 nm; detector, 510 nm;gain set to 5) with the fluorescence reading taken at the end of each72° C. step. A melt step was added after a cycling run performed withthe same parameters of the SYBR Green assay. During the melt cycle thetemperature was increased by increments of 1° C. from 72° C. to 95° C.and the signal was acquired on the FAM channel (source, 470 nm;detector, 510 nm; gain set to 5).

c) Materials

Unless otherwise stated, all compounds were obtained from Sigma-AldrichCompany Ltd. (Milan, Italy). All stock solutions were prepared innon-pyrogenic saline (0.9% NaCl; Baxter, Milan, Italy), 10% DMSO, or 10%ethanol.

(a) Statistical Evaluation

All values in the figures and text are expressed as mean±standard errorof the mean (SEM) of the number (n) of observations. For the in vivostudies, n represents the number of animals studied. In the experimentsinvolving histology or immunohistochemistry, the figures shown arerepresentative of at least three experiments performed on differentexperimental days. The results were analyzed by one-way ANOVA followedby a Bonferroni post-hoc test for multiple comparisons. A p value ofless than 0.05 was considered significant. BBB scale data were analyzedby the Mann-Whitney test and considered significant when p value wasless than 0.05.

d) Results

(a) 17β-Estradiol Reduces the Severity of SCI

The severity of the trauma at the level of the perilesional area,assessed as the presence of edema as well as alteration of the whitematter (FIG. 31B, see histological score 31E), was evaluated at 24 hoursafter injury by Haematoxylin/Eosin. A significant damage to the spinalcord was observed in the spinal cord tissue of control mice subjected toSCI when compared with sham-operated mice (FIG. 31A see histologicalscore 31E). Notably, a significant protection against the SCI-inducedhistological alteration was observed in 17β-mice (FIG. 31C seehistological score 31E). Myelin structure was observed by Luxol fastblue staining (FIG. 31F-H see histological score 31E). In sham animalsmyelin structure was clearly stained by Luxol fast blue in both lateraland dorsal funiculi of the spinal cord. At 24 hours after the injury, asignificant loss of myelin in lateral and dorsal funiculi was observedin control mice subjected to SCI. (FIG. 31F see histological score 31E).In contrast, in 17β-estradiol-treated mice myelin degradation wasattenuated in the central part of lateral and dorsal funiculi (FIG. 31Gsee histological score 31E). Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and17β-estradiol significantly blocked the effect of the 17β-estradiol onthe histological alteration (FIG. 31D see histological score 31E) aswell as on the myelin structure (FIG. 31H see histological score 31E).

(b) Effects of 17β-Estradiol on Neutrophil Infiltration

The above mentioned histological pattern of SCI appeared to becorrelated with the influx of leukocytes into the spinal cord. Wetherefore investigated the role of 17-β-estradiol on the neutrophilinfiltration by measuring tissue MPO activity. MPO activity wassignificantly elevated in the spinal cord at 24 hours after injury incontrol mice subjected to SCI when compared with sham-operated mice(FIG. 32A). In 17β-estradiol-treated mice, the MPO activity in thespinal cord at 24 hours after injury was significantly attenuated incomparison to that observed in SCI control mice (FIG. 32A).Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantly blockedthe effect of the 17β-estradiol on the neutrophils infiltration (FIG.32A). In addition, tissue sections obtained at 24 hours fromSCI-operated mice demonstrate positive staining for MPO mainly localizedin the infiltrated inflammatory cells in injured area (FIG. 32C1 seedensitometry analysis FIG. 33). In mice treated with the 17β-estradiol(FIG. 32D, see densitometry analysis FIG. 33), the staining for MPO wasvisibly and significantly reduced in comparison with the SCI-operatedmice. There was no staining for MPO in spinal cord tissues obtained fromthe sham group of mice (FIG. 32B, see densitometry analysis FIG. 33).Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantly blockedthe effect of the 17β-estradiol on the MPO (FIG. 32E1 see densitometryanalysis FIG. 33).

(c) 17β-Estradiol Modulates Expression of Cytokines and Chemokines

To determine whether 17β-estradiol may modulate the inflammatory processthrough the regulation of the secretion of several cytokines, the tissuelevels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and MCP-1 were analyzed. When comparedwith sham-operated mice, SCI caused a significant increase in the tissuelevels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, MCP-1 in SCI control mice (FIG. 34). Theincreases in the tissue levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, MCP-1 seen in17β-estradiol-treated mice subjected to SCI were significantly reducedin comparison with the vehicle-treated mice (FIG. 34). Co-administrationof ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantly but parti4).

(d) 17β-Estradiol Modulates Expression of iNOS and the NitrotyrosineFormation after SCI

Immunohistological staining for iNOS in the spinal cord was determined24 hours after injury. Sections of spinal cord from sham-operated micedid not stain for iNOS (FIG. 35A see densitometry analysis FIG. 33),whereas spinal cord sections obtained from SCI control mice exhibitedpositive staining for iNOS (FIG. 35B see densitometry analysis FIG. 33)mainly localized in inflammatory cells as well as in nuclei of Schwanncells in the white and gray matter of the spinal cord tissues.

Treatment of mice subjected to SCI with 17β-estradiol reduced the degreeof positive staining for iNOS (FIG. 35C see densitometry analysis FIG.33) in the spinal cord. To determine the localization of “peroxynitriteformation” and/or other nitrogen derivatives produced during SCI,nitrotyrosine, a specific marker of nitrosative stress, was measured byimmunohistochemical analysis in the spinal cord sections at 24 hoursafter SCI. Sections of spinal cord from sham-operated mice did not stainfor nitrotyrosine (FIG. 35E see densitometry analysis FIG. 33), whereasspinal cord sections obtained from SCI control mice exhibited positivestaining for nitrotyrosine (FIG. 35F see densitometry analysis FIG. 33)mainly localized in inflammatory cells as well as in nuclei of Schwanncells in the white and gray matter of the spinal cord tissues. Treatmentof mice subjected to SCI with 17β-estradiol reduced the degree ofpositive staining for nitrotyrosine (FIG. 35G see densitometry analysisFIG. 33) in the spinal cord. Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and17β-estradiol significantly blocked the effect of the 17β-estradiol oniNOS expression (FIG. 35D see densitometry analysis FIG. 33) andnitrotyrosine formation (FIG. 35H see densitometry analysis FIG. 33).

(e) 17β-estradiol modulates expression of COX-2 after SCI

Immunohistological staining for COX-2 in the spinal cord was alsodetermined 24 hours after injury. Sections of spinal cord fromsham-operated mice did not stain for COX-2 (FIG. 36A see densitometryanalysis FIG. 33), whereas spinal cord sections obtained from SCIcontrol mice exhibited positive staining for COX-2 (FIG. 36B seedensitometry analysis FIG. 33) mainly localized in inflammatory cells aswell as in nuclei of Schwann cells in the white and gray matter of thespinal cord tissues. Treatment of mice subjected to SCI with17β-estradiol reduced the degree of positive staining for COX-2 (FIG.36C see densitometry analysis FIG. 33) in the spinal cord.Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantly blockedthe effect of the 17β-estradiol on COX-2 expression (FIG. 36D seedensitometry analysis FIG. 33).

(f) Effect of 17β-Estradiol on Apoptosis in Spinal Cord after Injury

To test whether spinal cord damage was associated with cell death byapoptosis, TUNEL-like staining was measured in the perilesional spinalcord tissue. Almost no apoptotic cells were detected in the spinal cordfrom sham-operated mice. At 24 hours after the trauma, tissues obtainedfrom SCI-operated mice demonstrated a marked appearance of dark brownapoptotic cells and intercellular apoptotic fragments (FIG. 37A TUNEL+cells were 3.01±0.13 per field) associated with a specific apoptoticmorphology characterized by the compaction of chromatin into uniformlydense masses in perinuclear membrane, the formation of apoptotic bodiesas well as the membrane blebbing. In contrast, tissues obtained frommice treated with 17β-estradiol (FIG. 37B TUNEL+ cells were 0.45±0.12per field) demonstrated a small number of apoptotic cells or fragments.Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantly blockedthe effect of the 17β-estradiol on the presence of apoptotic cell (FIG.37C TUNEL+ cells were 2.80±0.18 per field). Section d demonstrates thepositive staining in the Kit positive control tissue.

(g) Effect of 17β-Estradiol on Bax and Bcl-2 Expression

The appearance of Bax in homogenates of spinal cord was investigated byWestern blot at 24 hours after SCI. A basal level of Bax was detected inthe spinal cord from sham-operated animals (FIG. 38A). Bax levels weresubstantially increased in the spinal cord from control mice subjectedto SCI (FIG. 38A). On the contrary, 17β-estradiol treatment preventedthe SCI-induced Bax expression (FIG. 38A). Co-administration of ICI182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantly blocked the effect of the17β-estradiol on Bax expression (FIG. 38A). To detect Bcl-2 expression,whole extracts from spinal cord of each rat were also analyzed byWestern blot analysis. A low basal level of Bcl-2 expression wasdetected in spinal cord from sham-operated mice (FIG. 38B). Twenty fourhours after SCI, the Bcl-2 expression was significantly reduced in wholeextracts obtained from spinal cord of SCI control mice (FIG. 38B).Treatment of mice with 17β-estradiol significantly reduced theSCI-induced inhibition of Bcl-2 expression (FIG. 38B). Co-administrationof ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantly blocked the effect of the17β-estradiol on the Bcl2 expression (FIG. 38B). The samples of spinalcord tissue were also taken at 24 hours after SCI in order to determinethe immunohistological staining for Bax and Bcl-2. Sections of spinalcord from sham-operated mice did not stain for Bax (FIG. 39A) whereasspinal cord sections obtained from SCI control mice exhibited a positivestaining for Bax (FIG. 39B). 17β-estradiol treatment reduced the degreeof positive staining for Bax in the spinal cord of mice subjected to SCI(FIG. 39C). In addition, sections of spinal cord from sham-operated micedemonstrated positive staining for Bcl-2 (FIG. 39D) while in SCI controlmice the staining for Bcl-2 was significantly reduced (FIG. 39E).17β-estradiol treatment attenuated the loss of positive staining forBcl-2 in the spinal cord in mice subjected to SCI (FIG. 39F).Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantly blockedthe effect of the 17β-estradiol on Bax (FIG. 39G) and Bcl-2 (FIG. 39H)expression. Effect of 17β-estradiol on motor function. In order toelucidate the potential clinical significance of the protective effectsof 17β-estradiol, it was investigated whether the pre or post-treatmentwith 17β-estradiol modified the motor dysfunction evaluated by themodified BBB hind limb locomotor rating scale score associated with SCI.While motor function was only slightly impaired in sham mice, micesubjected to SCI had significant deficits in hind limb movement (FIG.40). A significant amelioration of hind limb motor disturbances wasobserved in 17β-estradiol-pretreated as well as post-treated mice (FIG.40). Co-administration of ICI 182,780 and 17β-estradiol significantlyblocked the effect of the 17β-estradiol on the motor recovery (FIG. 40).

e) Discussion and Conclusions

SCI induces lifetime disability, and no suitable therapy is available totreat victims or to minimize their sufferings. 17β-estradiol has beenshown to be therapeutic in a variety of models of neurological diseaseincluding SCI (Sribnick 2005). In this study, it is shown that17β-estradiol exerts beneficial effects in a mouse model of SCI. Inparticular, it was demonstrated that 17β-estradiol reduced: (1) thedegree of spinal cord damage; (2) infiltration of neutrophils; (3)pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression; (4) expression ofiNOS, nitrotyrosine, and COX-2; and (5) apoptosis.

It is well known that a significant increase in percentage of water inspinal cord tissue occurs after injury (Hsu 1985). In this study, it wasobserved by histological examination that the increase in tissue waterwas prevented by estrogen pre-treatment. SCI induced by the applicationof vascular clips to the dura via a four-level T5-T8 laminectomyresulted in edema and loss of myelin in lateral and dorsal funiculi.This histological damage was associated with the loss of motor function.In this study, it was demonstrated that 17β-estradiol pre-treatmentsignificantly reduced the SCI-induced spinal cord tissue alteration aswell as improved the motor function. A number of studies have clearlydemonstrated that after SCI, an inflammatory response characterized bythe infiltration of neutrophils and the activation of microglia developswithin hours (McTigue 2002). This primary event is followed by a secondwave of response to localize the inflammatory response within the spinalcord tissue and to down regulate this response. It was shown that usingMPO activity assay the infiltration of neutrophils at 24 h after SCI wasconfirmed. Moreover, administration of 17β-estradiol reduces theinfiltration of neutrophils when compared to the SCI control group. Therecruitment of inflammatory cells like neutrophils is responsible forthe production of several immunomodulatory factors, such as cytokinesand lipid mediators. Among the cytokines, TNF-α and IL-1 areparadigmatic pro-inflammatory mediators responsible for leukocyteactivation and recruitment (Maier 2005). Furthermore, there is goodevidence that TNF-α and IL-1α are clearly involved in the pathogenesisof SCI (Genovese 2006). Moreover, it has been demonstrated that in SCIthe expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α and IL-1α,at the site of injury regulates the precise cellular events after spinalcord injury. In the present study, a significant increase of TNF-αIL-1β, IL-6 and MCP-1 have clearly been demonstrated in spinal cordtissues at 24 hours after SCI. Treatment with 17β-estradiolsignificantly reduced the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and MCP-1. Ithas also been shown that cytokines also play an important role in theinduction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) which is known toplay an important role in the development of SCI (Matsuyama 1998). Ourresults indicated that 17β-estradiol treatment reduces the expression ofiNOS in SCI-operated mice and that the attenuation of the induction ofiNOS expression observed in SCI-operated mice which are treated with17β-estradiol is secondary to a reduced formation of endogenous TNF-αand IL-1β. Like iNOS, the expression of COX-2 is also mediated by TNF-αand IL-10 (Tonai 2006). In the pathological processes of acute SCI theupregulation of COX-2, a key enzyme in the synthesis of prostaglandins(PGs), has also been postulated to be involved. It is well known thatCOX-1 and COX-2 mRNA and protein are present in the spinal cord tissueand that COX-2 protein is expressed in white matter astrocytes duringbasal conditions (Beiche 1998). Conditions related to inflammation andpain induces COX-2 expression, which may be widespread (Venegas 2003).The results demonstrated that in sections of spinal cord of17β-estradiol-treated mice, there is a markedly less positive stainingfor COX-2 when compared with that of saline+SCI sham mice. Our results,in agreement with others' observation (29) demonstrated a relationshipbetween TNF-α production and the COX-2 expression. In addition toprostaglandins and NO, several studies have implicated the formation ofreactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in thesecondary neuronal damage of SCI (Xu 2001). In particular it has beendemonstrated that peroxynitrite likely contributes to secondary neuronaldamage through pathways resulting from the chemical modification ofcellular proteins and lipids (Xu 2001). To confirm the pathologicalcontributions of peroxynitrite to secondary damage after SCI, thenitrotyrosine formation was evaluated in the injured tissue. The resultsshowed that the immunostaining for nitrotyrosine was reduced inSCI-operated mice treated with 17β-estradiol. Nitrotyrosine formation,along with its detection by immunostaining, was initially proposed as arelatively specific marker for the detection of the endogenous formation“footprint” of peroxynitrite (Beckman 1996). There is, however, recentevidence that certain other reactions can also induce tyrosinenitration; e.g., the reaction of nitrite with hypochlorous acid and thereaction of myeloperoxidase with hydrogen peroxide can lead to theformation of nitrotyrosine (Endoh 1994). Increased nitrotyrosinestaining is considered, therefore, as an indication of “increasednitrosative stress” rather than a specific marker of the peroxynitritegeneration. Recent studies have demonstrated the induction of apoptosisin different cell line in response to ROS, peroxynitrite and nitricoxide (Merrill 1993). In the present study, using the TUNEL colorationit was clearly confirmed that 17β-estradiol plays an important role inthe attenuation of apoptosis during SCI. Moreover, it is well known thatBax, a pro-apoptotic gene, plays an important role in developmental celldeath (Chittenen 1994) and in CNS injury. Similarly, it has been shownthat the administration of Bcl-xL fusion protein, (Bcl-2 is the mostexpressed antiapoptotic molecule in adult central nervous system) intoinjured spinal cords significantly increased neuronal survival, showingthat SCI-induced changes in Bcl-xL contribute considerably to neuronaldeath (Nesic-Taylor 2005). Base on these evidences, proapoptotictranscriptional changes, including upregulation of proapoptotic Bax anddown regulation of antiapoptotic Bcl-2, were identified using Westernblot assay and by immunohistochemical staining. The results demonstratethat treatment with 17β-estradiol prior to SCI prevents the loss of theantiapoptotic way and reduced the proapoptotic pathway activation.Estrogens have been reported to have anti-oxidative activities, whichmight in part explain some of the findings reported in the presentstudy. However, the antioxidant activity of 17β-estradiol is observed atpharmacological concentrations of the hormone and is not blocked byantagonists of the estrogen receptors. It thus appears that the lack ofspinal cord tissue injury in 17β-estradiol pre-treated mice reportedhere is not due to estrogen's anti-oxidant action because mice weretreated with a dose of the hormone at which is not anti-oxidant as wellas more importantly the observed protective effects of 17β-estradiolwere abrogated by the co-administration of the antagonist of estrogenreceptor, ICI 82,780. The observed effects are thereforereceptor-mediated.

Throughout this application, various publications are referenced. Thedisclosures of these publications in their entireties are herebyincorporated by reference into this application in order to more fullydescribe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.

7. Example 7 Synthetic Estrogens and Survival

a) Survival Studies

Survival studies with ethinyl 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate (EE3-SO₄) in ratssubjected to soft tissue trauma and 60% hemorrhage were performed as hasbeen described for E2-SO₄ and E2-cyclodextrin. Briefly, Male SpragueDawley rats were anesthetized with isoflurane and received a 5 cmlaparotomy. Cannulation was performed of 2 femoral arteries (one forbleeding and the one for blood pressure monitoring) and one femoral veinto administer drug or saline. Rats were bled to 62.9% total blood volumewithin 45 min with a mean arterial blood pressure of 40 mmHg achieved in10 min and maintained at the pressure throughout the bleeding procedure.At the point of maximum bleed out (MBO), estrogen compounds wereadministered. Survival was monitored for 6 hours following MBO.

The optimum dose of EE-3-SO₄ to promote rat survival for 6 hr wasdetermined. The doses of 0.1 mg/kg (n=6), 0.3 mg/kg (n=6), 1.0 mg/kg(n=7) and 3.0 mg/kg (n=6) were used. The respective survival percentageswere 16%, 50%, 87% and 50%, respectively (FIG. 41). Vehicle controlswere matched for each group and the numbers of test rats were identicalas well. No vehicle controls of any group survived for 6 hr (i.e., 100%death). The high survival rate at the optimum dose of 1.0 mg/kgdemonstrates high efficacy for EE-3-SO₄.

An additional practical matter to be resolved was removing or dampeningthe ever-present “spike” in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) observedjust after administration of EE-3-SO₄, which was also observed withE2-CD and E2-SO₄. Because this could be a threat to the hemorrhagepatient by having this transient pressure rise destabilize and ejectnascent hemostatic “plugs” in damaged vessels, a solution was developedfor the potential problem. By giving the iv bolus of E2-SO₄ in aslightly longer interval over 5 min starting at MBO rather than a morerapid injection in ˜1 min (i.e., a “slow push”), the benefits ofEE-3-SO₄ remained while the MAP “spike” was removed. To determine themaximum reduction in the blood pressure spike studies were furtherconducted with a push over a 10 min period. Observations showed acomplete reduction at 5 minutes and no further benefit by slowing thepush to 10 minutes.

b) Vascular Reactivity

Data to delineate the mechanism of action for EE-3-SO₄ vis-à-vis effectson the cardiovascular system was acquired. While it is well known thatestrogens act on the vascular system by a variety of mechanismsincluding vasorelaxation per se, specific confirmation of this fact forEE-3-SO₄ was needed. One useful and sensitive method is to profile thetest article acting on isolated vascular rings (i.e., rat or pig) in aphysiological “bath” apparatus, where EE-3-SO₄ is tested as a purecompound dissolved in a balanced salt solution (Kreb's buffer), which iscirculated around the suspended vessel ring at a constant temperature.Vessels are contracted by a variety of agents (i.e., endothelin-1,phenylephrine). The action(s) are measured with a force transducer andrecorded digitally. From this line of evaluation, the key features ofEE-3-SO₄'s action on the vasculature were observed to be: 1) EE-3-SO₄acts in a dose-responsive fashion, demonstrating a linear response inpromoting vessel relaxation in a range of doses from 1×10⁻⁸ to 1×10⁻⁴ M;2) EE-3-SO₄ exerts its effects via estrogen receptors, as EE-3-SO₄'seffects can be completely blocked by the specific estrogen antagonistICI 182,780; 3) the apparent mode of vessel relaxation is through NO, asrelaxation can be inhibited by the specific antagonist of nitric oxidesynthase, methyl arginine; and 4) when compared on a molar equivalentbasis, EE-3-SO₄ is more potent than E2-SO₄. (see FIG. 42).

Example 8 Estrogen and Neuroprotection from Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) with increased intracranial pressure (ICP)and low brain tissue oxygen partial pressure (pbtO₂) is a frequent causeof mortality and disability worldwide. The successes in treatingexperimental severe blood loss suggested an application of themethodology to traumatic brain injury (TBI), as administered by thelateral fluid percussion technique. It was reasoned that injection ofsupraphysiological doses of soluble E2 has efficacy for treating TBI ifadministered as early as possible after the injury, as with severe bloodloss.

The goal was to determine if intravenously administered (iv)17-β-estradiol 3, 17 disulfate (E2-SO₄) after TBI reduces ICP andimproves pbtO₂. Sprague-Dawley adult male rats were divided into 4groups: vehicle, E2-SO₄ (1 mg/kg), sham+vehicle and sham+E2-SO₄;n=5/group. The TBI model was lateral fluid percussion injury (LFP),induced via a hydraulic pressure pulse to the anesthetized rat's exposedbrain. This was introduced through a burr hole in the lateral skullprepared one day prior to LFP. A single iv dose of E2-SO₄ or salinevehicle was administered 1 hr after LFP. Physiological parameters weremeasured 24 hr post-injury. ICP values in sham (vehicle+E2-SO₄), TBIvehicle-control and TBI+E2-SO₄ groups averaged 4.7±0.5 mmHg (p<0.05),17.4±0.5 mmHg, and 7±0.4 mmHg, respectively. Corresponding improvementin pbtO₂ was seen in TBI+E2-SO₄ group with average values of 34.1±1.6mmHg, TBI-vehicle group had an average of 15.8±1.3 mmHg and in shamgroups the average was 39.6±1.4 mmHg (p<0.05).

In a second experiment, the efficacy of E₂-SO₄ treatment for TBI in alateral fluid percussion (LFP) model was examined. This involved 6groups of rats (n=5/group). All rats received a craniectomy. Groups 1,2, 4 and 5 received LFP injury. Groups 1 and 4 were treated with E2 (1mg/kg) 1 hr post-injury, groups 2 and 5 were vehicle (Veh)-treated andgroups 3 and 6 were sham. Groups 1-3 underwent intracranial pressure(ICP), cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and partial oxygen pressure(pbtO₂) monitoring. Groups 4-6 underwent fludoexoyglucose (FDG)-PET/CTand diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis on days 1 and 7post-induction. Relative standard uptake values (SUV) of upper half ofbrain to central value, fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparentdiffusion coefficient (ADC) maps were calculated.

Results indicate that ICP, CPP and pbtO₂ in sham, Veh and E2 groups(mmHg) were 4.7±0.4, 17.4±0.5, 7±0.4, 82.1±1.3, 65.2±1.4, 75.7±1.4,39.6±0.9, 15.8±1.3, and 34.1±1.6, respectively (differences significantat p<0.05). Relative % SUV of Veh, treated and sham groups on day 1 were89.9±0.02, 94.0±0.01, and 96.9±0.02, respectively, and on day 7 were93.6±0.01, 92.4±0.01, and 96.1±0.01, respectively. Day 1 SUV in Vehgroup was significantly lower than treated and sham groups (p=0.045 and0.013, respectively); no statistical significance was found on day 7.Edema sizes on days 1 and 7 in Veh and treated groups were (mm³)23.9±5.1 and 10.3±2.1 and 10.4±2.6 and 1.2±0.7, respectively. No edemawas found in sham group. Edema size in Veh group was significantlylarger compared to treated group on days 1 (p=0.038) and 7 (p=0.010). Nosignificant FA change was found between Veh and treated groups.

E2 treatment administered 24 hours after TBI markedly reducesintracranial pressure and enhances oxygen delivery to the injured brain(FIG. 48). Rats with untreated, injured brains are shown as filledcircles, while E2 treated rats are noted with open circles. Sham-treatedcontrol rats are shown by filled, inverted triangles while sham-treatedcontrol rats given E2 are labeled with unfilled triangles. FIG. 48Ashows intracranial pressure (ICP) in injured and sham brains. FIG. 48Bis a plot of cerebral perfusion pressure, which is a derivative of meanarterial pressure less ICP. FIG. 48C shows partial oxygen in injured vsuninjured brains. The X axis is shown for an extended 2 hours to confirmstability for the various probes used. In summary, it is clear thatadministration of E2 to TBI rats reduces the pathology associated withelevated intracranial pressure and reduced perfusion in the injuredbrain as compared to untreated TBI rats.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), shown as MRI “slices” through the rat'sbrain is shown in FIG. 49. Rats were either treated with E2 or a salinevehicle control, where treatment is administered 1 hour after injury.This set of images made 24 hr. after treatment uses fractionalanisotropy (FA) as revealed by a diffusion tensor operator, whichdelineates the interface of zones of free diffusion vs. restricteddiffusion. The former is the area of deranged nerves, while the latterconstitutes intact nerves. It can be seen that E2 mitigates for areduction of disorder post TBI, while the vehicle control has a largerarea. The sum of volumes calculated from the slices shows anapproximately 50% reduction in FA as compared to the vehicle controls.Similar imaging based on T2 (i.e., proton) MRI shows a similar patternfor reduction of edema.

The fluorescent dye Fluro-Jade (FJ) (FIG. 50) is a histological stainthat reveals degenerate neurons. As such, the lesser the FJ staining,the greater the neuroprotection. Sections stained with FJ are quantifiedas FJ positive cells, and are taken from brain cortex or CA 2/3 regionof the hippocampus. The groups shown in the graph above aresham+vehicle, sham+E2, TBI+vehicle and TBI+E2. As is evident, thesetissues show greater that twofold fewer cells undergoingneurodegeneration 24 hours after treatment with E2, which wasadministered intravenously at 1 mg/kg body weight, 1 hour after lateralfluid percussion TBI.

Thus, E2-SO₄ is as an effective therapy to counter damage wrought byhigh ICP and low pbtO₂ levels post-TBI, which rapidly lead todegenerative brain injury. This alleviates the morbidity of structuraldamage, edema and herniation of brain. E2-SO₄ administered shortly afterTBI, also has a longer-term benefit of reducing neuronal degeneration,potentially lowering mortality and permanent disability.

This treatment was extended with the use of ethinyl17α-estradiol-3-sulfate (EE-3-SO₄) and have found it to have similarefficacy to E2-SO₄. The treatment requires the rapid delivery ofapproximately 1 mg/kg of estrogen via an intravenous or intraosseousroute, which is only possible with the use of a soluble estrogen (e.g.,E2-CD, E2-SO4 or EE-3-SO₄). Both EE-3-SO₄ and E2-SO₄ can reduce edema inthe injured brain. FIG. 43 graphically shows a significant reduction inedema with E2 treatment (control: saline vehicle; treatment: E2-SO₄;sham: no injury; black bar: day 1; grey bar: day 7). The clinicalmanifestation of edema after TBI can be seen as increased intracranialpressure, with lower brain perfusion pressure and reduced oxygentension. Human clinical monitoring was adapted to the rat and havedemonstrated that estrogen can lower intracranial pressure and preservedelivery of oxygen and tissue perfusion. FIG. 44 compares treatments forTBI with hormones, measured over a 120 min period to control the effectsof the invasive probe on pressures. The treatments are progesterone(T+progesterone: magenta), progesterone plus E2-SO4 (T+E+P: brown),E2-SO4 (T+E2SO4: red) and EE-3-SO4 (T+EE-3SO4: yellow). It can be seenthat the hormone treatments are quite similar, and greatly reduce thepressure in untreated vehicle controls (T+V: blue). ICP in shamuntreated and uninjured rats is shown in green. Besides reducing edema,estrogen greatly reduces cell death and apoptosis.

The same treatment also improves the injured rat's performance formemory and cognitive functions, which improve further over time. Thepreservation of higher function is decisively demonstrated with theinjured rat's ability to continue to thrive and gain weight with E2treatment, whereas vehicle-treated control rats lose weight and are slowto resume weight gain. This data is seen in FIG. 45. The left panelshows weight loss 24 hr after injury with vehicle-treated TBI-injuredrats (green bar) losing slightly more weight than their estrogen-treatedcounterparts (red bar). However, the effects of the treatment aredramatically revealed after 7 d, where the vehicle-treated rats (bluebar) continue to lose weight, while the estrogen-treated rats (red bar)resume weight gain nearly at the level as the uninjured sham controls(green bar). Since weight gain is the result of integration of severalcomplex physiological processes (locomotion, wake/sleep cycles andcircadian rhythms, olfactory and visual sensing, digestion, etc.) thepreservation of weight gain indicates a highly significant benefit fromestrogen treatment in TBI.

17-β estradiol (E2) has been found to substantially enhance cardiacperformance as ejection fraction after severe hemorrhage. This wasmeasured by SPECT-CT (single photon emission computedtomography-computed tomography) which enables the measurement of thevolume of blood forced from the heart visualized through 3-D, real-timeimaging (FIG. 46). It is evident that the E2 treated rats were able tomaintain cardiac output at a level that enables survival for 3 hours, ascompared to the vehicle treated hemorrhaged rat, which in this exampledied at 150 minutes.

Ethinyl 17α-estradiol-3-sulfate (EE-3-SO4) exhibits enhanced survivalfrom 60% blood loss as compared to E2-sulfate, which was 80% vs. 66%,respectively (FIG. 47). Because of its high solubility, 17β-estradiolattains high blood levels rapidly after injection by intravenous (opencircles) or intraosseous (closed circles) routes (FIG. 51). Furthermore,this can be accomplished with either hemorrhaged (blood shed as 60% bodyweight, left panel) or normal rats (right panel). Because of its longerhalf-life, ethinyl estrogen 3-sulfate remains in the blood 70% longerthan 17β-estradiol, which enhances the therapeutic effects. Thus E2-SO₄and EE-3-SO₄ confer the same benefits and protection for a variety ofneurological injuries. EE-3-SO₄ enjoys the additional property of alonger half-life or exposure to the target tissues, which confers anadvantage to its use in neurological injuries.

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1. A method of ameliorating one or more effects of a traumatic injury ina subject, the method comprising administering17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate to the subject in a low volume ofsolution, wherein the 17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate is in awater-soluble form and is administered prior to fluid resuscitation. 2.(canceled)
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein 0.5 ml/kg or less of17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate in water-soluble form is administered tothe subject.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate is in a cyclodextrin complex.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the cyclodextrin complex comprises2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin or sulfobutyl ether cyclodextran.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the administration is intravenous orintraosseous.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate is administered with 17α-estradiol,17α-estradiol sulfate, β-estradiol, 17β-estradiol sulfate,17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, or equiline sulfate. 8.-9. (canceled)
 10. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the traumatic injury is traumatic braininjury.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the traumatic injury involvesan inflammatory response or low blood pressure compared to a controlblood pressure or severe blood loss. 12.-14. (canceled)
 15. The methodof claim 1, wherein administration of 17α-ethinylestradio-3-sulfatemaintains a state of permissive hypotension.
 16. (canceled)
 17. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the 17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate isadministered after the traumatic injury but prior to treatment. 18.(canceled)
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate is administered at between 0.3 and 3.0mg/kg. 20.-22. (canceled)
 23. A method of ameliorating one or moreeffects of severe blood loss in a subject, the method comprisingadministering 17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate to the subject, wherein the17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate is in water-soluble form and isadministered prior to fluid resuscitation. 24.-25. (canceled)
 26. Themethod of claim 23, wherein 0.5 ml/kg or less of17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate in water soluble form is administered tothe subject. 27.-29. (canceled)
 30. The method of claim 23, wherein theadministration is intravenous or intraosseous.
 31. The method of claim23, wherein the 17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate is administered with17α-estradiol, 17α-estradiol sulfate, β estradiol, 17β-estradiolsulfate, 17β-estradiol sulfate or equiline sulfate. 32.-37. (canceled)38. The method of claim 23, wherein the 17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfateis administered after the severe blood loss but prior to treatment.39.-41. (canceled)
 42. A method of prolonging viability of tissue,organ, cell, or an entire body for donation, the method comprisingcontacting the tissue, organ, cell, or entire body with17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate.
 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate is administered with 17α-estradiol,17α-estradiol sulfate, β estradiol, 17β-estradiol sulfate,17β-estradiol-3-sulfate, or equiline sulfate. 44.-45. (canceled)
 46. Themethod of claim 42, wherein the contacting step is performed in vivo byadministering 17α-ethinylestradiol-3-sulfate to a donor.
 47. The methodof claim 42, wherein the contacting step is performed ex vivo. 48.-66.(canceled)